Each cadre, each Party member should practise self-criticism and self-correction of shortcomings every day like every day's face washing. So doing, there will not be any ailment within the Party and the Party will be extremely healthy

HO CHI MINH

Grand meetings mark Party's 73rd anniversary

The Communist Party of Vietnam held a grand meeting in Hanoi on February 3 to mark its 73^rd founding anniversary (February 3, 1930 - February 3, 2003).

Present at the event were Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, senior leaders of the Party, State and representatives from ministries, agencies and localities.

Politburo member and secretary of Hanoi Party Committee, Nguyen Phu Trong, delivered a speech, highlighting the historic importance of the establishment of the Party, a turning-point in Vietnam's revolutionary cause. The Vietnamese people, under the leadership of the Party, has overcome numerous difficulties to gain great victories regarding the success of the August Revolution, the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the success of the national reunification, especially the renovation process, thus gradually advancing towards socialism.

Mr Trong said the close relationship between the Party and people has contributed to the successful implementation of the national targets, adding that the primary importance should be the task of Party building.

He stressed that in order to fulfil the Party resolution on national industrialisation and modernisation for a prosperous people, a strong country and an equitable, democratic and civilised society, the entire Party and people of Vietnam has no other choice than to strengthen the Party, considering this a key task to achieve the major target of socio-economic development.

"Efforts should be made to accelerate the educational work to help raise the political and intellectual awareness as well as revolutionary ethics of the Party members as part of the tough struggle against selfishness, corruption and wastefulness," the senior Party official said.

To this end, Mr Trong called for the reform of the Party's leading method and more efforts to care for the younger generations so as to continue upholding the Party's revolutionary banner in national construction.

Mr Trong pledged to maintain social order and security to secure the success the 22^nd SEA Games, the first ever regional sporting event to be held in Vietnam this December. Hanoi is also pushing ahead its preparations for the 1000^th anniversary, he stressed.

Localities across the country such as Ho Chi Minh City, Thua Thien-Hue, Soc Trang, Thanh Hoa, Haiphong, Kon Tum, Hung Yen, Binh Phuoc and many others also held meetings to mark the 73^rd anniversary of the Party and the 35^th anniversary of the General Offensive and Uprising in the Mau Than Lunar New Year (1968).

Party in power, but the people, the masters

Recently, Nhan Dan newspaper has received letters from young readers nationwide, who are now members of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, asking us to pass their letters onto the Party general secretary. On the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, we would like to introduce to our readers the letter of Party leader Nong Duc Manh in his reply to the letter from Bui Ngoc Cuong, a young Party member, in which some issues on Party construction are mentioned. Following is a copy of the Party leader’s letter:

Dear comrade Bui Ngoc Cuong, member of the Hoa Nhon 3 Co-operative, Hoa Vang district, Da Nang city,

I received your letter in the ending days of 2002, in which you put some questions regarding the Party to me. I would like to express my happiness to know that the occasion of the 73^rd anniversary of the Party is also the first anniversary of your Party membership.

Perhaps, before becoming a Party member, you had attended training courses and had been introduced with the Party’s Political Programme and Rules. In my reply to your letter, I would like to discuss some issues mentioned in your letter.

Uncle Ho, who founded, built up and trained our Party, wrote “first about the Party” in His Testament to Party members and the people, because the Party’s cause is our top priority. President Ho Chi Minh stressed that the revolution will be successful when Party is solid like the helmsman who only steers a boat when it is stable. Therefore, speaking about the Party and the Party’s revamp means speaking about the revolutionary cause of the whole nation.

The Communist Party of Vietnam has become the sole Party to lead Vietnam’s revolution. This responsibility and honour are not coming from the wish of any body but from the fact that the Party has met all the objective requirements posed by the revolutionary development and has been recognised by the people. Our Party has been in power since the victory of the 1945 August Revolution. However, one thing we should remember is that the Party is in power but the people are the masters. Uncle Ho said power and force were in people and the Party was not the place for climbing the ladder of power and making riches. Our Party has no other objectives than to serve the Fatherland and serve the people, to protect national independence and to build socialism successfully in our beloved country. In His Testament, Uncle Ho wrote: “Ours is a Party in power. Each Party member, each cadre must be deeply imbued with revolutionary morality, and show industry, thrift, integrity, uprightness, total dedication to the public interest and complete selflessness. Our Party should preserve absolute purity and prove worthy of its role as the leader and very loyal servant of the people.” The trust of the people in each cadre and Party member is based not on their position and powers the Party member takes up but proper approaches and policies together with the leadership abilities of the Party as well as exemplary actions, virtue, quality and talent of cadres and Party members.

Remembering Uncle Ho’s teachings, I would like to say that besides the examples of the noble sacrifices of cadres and Party members, we are very sad to see that part of our cadres and Party members could not maintain their virtue and lifestyle, getting involved in corruption and bureaucracy, thus eroding the people’s trust in the Party. The Party’s construction and revamp alongside the struggle against corruption and bureaucracy is big issues in the Party’s activities. Therefore, I hope that you and your Party cell will implement well the Party’s construction and revamp in the spirit of the sixth Party Central Committee plenum’s resolution (second time) of the eighth tenure and the fourth Party Central Committee plenum’s conclusion of the ninth tenure as well as the guiding Testament of Uncle Ho.

Our Party has more than two million members, but our country has 80 million people. The effectiveness of the Party’s leadership is to tap fully the strength of the whole nation. Cadres and Party members should maintain unity within the Party and among the people then unity will create strength. In His Testament, Uncle Ho mentioned ‘unity’ eight times: unity within the Party, unity among the people and unity between the Party and the people. To do so, cadres and Party members, we should learn further to raise our socio-economic leading capabilities to improve the material and spiritual life of the people. We should respect and listen to critics and the ideas contributed by the people. We should rely on the people and the people’s strength in every way. Any authoritativeness and high-handedness against the people are strange for each and every communist.

The movement ‘the whole nation to practise excellent economic activities and each household becomes rich for itself, the community and the country’ initiated by the fifth Party Central Committee plenum of the ninth tenure along with the campaign ‘the whole nation unite to build up the cultural life’ in the spirit of the resolution of the fifth Party Central Committee plenum is major objective which each Party organisation should implement well and each cadre and Party member should become a good example. I hope that you and your Party cell will record new achievements in economic and cultural activities alongside the Party’s construction and revamp to become an exemplary Party cell and you will become an excellent member in your Party cell.

On the occasion of Tet (lunar New Year), I wish you and your family good health, happiness and success. I wish your co-operative great success.

Activities celebrate Party’s birthday

Many activities were held throughout the country on February 3 to celebrate the 73^rd founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Dong Nai province held a meeting in Tri An commune, Vinh Cuu district to mark the Party’s birthday and 35^th anniversary of the South Vietnamese people’s offensive and uprising during the lunar New Year in 1968 (the Year of the Monkey). Attending the event were Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Vice President Truong My Hoa; leaders of Ho Chi Minh City, Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces; Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, Heroes of the Armed Forces and a great many of people from Dong Nai province.

Addressing the ceremony, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai highlighted the glorious tradition of the Communist Party of Vietnam for 73 years and stressed, during the development process of the Vietnamese Revolution, the Party has led people at all levels and mobilized intelligence and bravery of the whole nation to the maximum, following President Ho Chi Minh’s thought: “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom”. On the occasion, the Prime Minister said he wished leaders, soldiers and the people of Dong Nai province a new year full of good health, happiness and prosperity.

The same anniversaries were also held in northern provinces of Yen Bai and Lao Cai.

A great number of leaders, officers, men and ethnic minority people in Hoa Binh province offered incense at President Ho Chi Minh’s Monument to celebrate the 73^rd birthday of the Communist Party. The monument is located in the Hoa Binh Hydro-Electric Power Plant’s tourism resort. It bears memories of President Ho Chi Minh’s visits to the province.

An art performance was organised on the evening of February 3 in Thai Nguyen province to celebrate the Party founding day, attracting many amateur singers and dancers from local art troupes.