Party personnel affairs: choosing moral, talented, visionary, enthusiastic cadre

Chairing the first meeting of the sub-committee for personnel affairs of the 14th National Party Congress on March 13, 2024, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong also noted that the personnel work is not only a key step in Party building but also a vital link in all Party activities, and a factor determining the success or failure of the revolution.

Officials, Party members, and people are concerned about how the Party will select the leadership capable of shouldering the huge revolutionary tasks entrusted by the history, the Party chief said.

Strictness of Party disciplines

In his book titled “Resolutely, persistently fighting corruption and other negative phenomena to contribute to building a more transparent and stronger Party and State”, the Party General Secretary also stressed disciplining officials is something very painful and heartbreaking that no one desires.

“However, for the common cause, the seriousness of the Party's disciplines and the State’s laws, the pureness, strength, and reputation of the Party, and the will and aspiration of the people, we must act even more resolutely and drastically in the time ahead,” he wrote.

Since the beginning of the 13th tenure (2021-2026), the Party Central Committee, the Political Bureau, the Secretariat, and the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission have disciplined nearly 100 high-ranking officials under the Party Central Committee's management, of them some faced criminal prosecution.

Entering the second quarter of this year, the fight against corruption and other negative phenomena has been intensified.

At its 39th session on April 2-3, the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission proposed the Politburo and the Secretariat consider and take disciplinary measures against the Party Civil Affairs Committee of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs for the 2011-2016 and 2016-2021 terms, along with Minister Dao Ngoc Dung and former Minister Pham Thi Hai Chuyen, and Deputy Minister Huynh Van Ti, who is also former member of the Party Central Committee, and former member of the Party Civil Affairs Committee. Some officials of the ministry were also removed from their Party positions.

On April 9, the Secretariat expelled Le Duy Thanh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Vinh Phuc province, from the Party. In March, Thanh and Hoang Thi Thuy Lan, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, were put under temporary detention to help make clear their roles in the case related to Chairman of Phuc Son Group Nguyen Van Hau.

Also on April 9, the Secretariat removed seven individuals from the Party, including Dang Van Minh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Ngai province; Cao Khoa, former Chairman of the provincial People's Committee of Quang Ngai province; and Pham Dinh Cu, former Chairman of the People's Committee of Phu Yen province.

The Party’s and the State’s drastic actions against corruption and other negative phenomena, with disciplinary measures imposed against leaders of quite a few agencies and localities, have won the widespread support from the public. However, there remain major concerns.

Responding to the question that who will work when many officials are disciplined, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said at a meeting with voters in Hanoi’s Ba Dinh, Dong Da, and Hai Ba Trung districts in June 2022 that: “There is no worry about not having enough officials. It is impossible to not handle those who not only violate the law but also deviate from morality.”

Righly assessing, selecting cadres

So how to avoid making wrong personnel choices and appointments?

Regulation No. 105-QD/TW dated December 19, 2017, by the Political Bureau on the delegation of the personnel management and appointment provides very specific guidelines regarding the responsibility and power of advisory bodies of the Party Central Committee in the work, as well as principles, responsibility, power, procedures, and conditions for personnel appointment.

This is considered the "pre-check" stage in the personnel appointment.

However, from early 2021 to 2024, nearly 100 high-ranking officials under management of the Party Central Committee had been disciplined.

The reality raises the need for more attention to the "post-check" and answer the question why the right process still yields wrong results in many cases and how to fix shortcomings in personnel appointments?

It also shows that no matter how stringent the process is, it still depends on whether individuals implementing it are ethical and impartial, and whether officials will continue to improve their revolutionary ethics, capabilities, and knowledge after their appointment to important positions.

Assuming leading positions, officials bear the responsibility before the Party, their agencies, and localities, but behind that, there are interests, power, and material and spiritual influence over many people. Therefore, without a clear conscience, those responsible for nominating and electing may "implant" individuals or group interests into personnel arrangements. This is referred to as "corruption in personnel work”.

To avoid repeating wrongdoings and limitations in the work, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong requested that the introduction of personnel to the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, and key leading positions of the Party and the State in the upcoming term must be based on planning.

He also emphasised the need to maintain principles and regulations, and to raise responsibility, democracy, transparency, and objectivity in personnel evaluation, nomination, and selection.

It is essential to truly promote democracy in finding and nominating personnel alongside clearly defining the authority and responsibility of relevant collectives and individuals, strictly adhering to the principle of democratic centralism, promoting the role and responsibility of Party committees and organisations, and leaders, while combating "group interests" and avoiding simplistic, arbitrary, and unprincipled approaches.

The personnel work of the 14th National Party Congress must be conducted according to a strict, scientific, and consistent process, ensuring genuine impartiality and transparency, especially by having a "keen eye" in the personnel evaluation, nomination, and selection.

Responsibilities of heads of Party Committees, administrations and agencies

The heads of Party Committees, administrations, and agencies have the role of leading, steering, and directly deciding on the results of the implementation of the Party’s and the State's guidelines and policies as well as their units’ programmes and plans.

The Party and the State have set clear and specific regulations on the responsibilities of individuals who would be officials, Party members, and heads of agencies, before collectives in the principle of “with high position comes great responsibility”.

Recently, on behalf of the Political Bureau, Truong Thi Mai, Permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat and Chairwoman of the Party Central Committee’s Organisation Commission, signed Regulation No. 142-QD/TW dated April 23, 2024, on the pilot assignment of rights and responsibilities for heads of agencies in personnel affairs.

The document stipulates the scope, subjects, principles, authority, and responsibilities of heads of agencies in the personnel work, covering the nomination, the appointment of their deputy heads, the election of additional members to the standing board of the Party Committee at the same level, and the appointment and dismissal of heads of units under their management.

Notably, heads of agencies must bear responsibilities for their decisions even when they are performing other tasks or have retired.

Regulation No. 142-QD/TW is a step forward in promoting the role and responsibilities of heads of agencies, including relief and resignation if they fail to fulfill their duties, which are also clearly prescribed in Regulation No. 41-QD/TW dated November 3, 2021, of the Party Central Committee.

According to Regulation No. 41-QD/TW, “relief” refers to the decision by competent authorities to relieve officials of their positions before the end of their terms due to their failure to satisfy job requirements, declining reputation, and wrongdoings but not to the extend of being dismissed.

Meanwhile, “resignation” would happen when officials voluntarily resign from their positions before the end of their tenures, which is approved by competent agencies.

The relief would be decided once heads of agencies let units and subordinates under their management commit very serious corruption and other negative phenomena, while resignation is allowed in case of serious corruption and other negative phenomena.

While performing their tasks, it is a must for heads of State agencies and organisations to observe Decree No. 157/2007/ND-CP dated October 27, 2007, of the Government, which says that apart from taking responsibilities for all activities of their agencies and organisations, leaders must set examples in following guidelines and policies of the Party, laws of the State, and instructions of their superiors. The higher the leadership level is, the higher the exemplariness must be.

Officials, Party members and the public have shown their support for the above-said Party and State regulations, which have been put in place during the handling of cases of corruption and other negative phenomena over the past time.

A large number of officials at both central and grassroots levels have been relieved of their positions, with many of them violating rules set for Party members and the regulations on the responsibilities of officials and Party members, firstly Politburo members, members of the Secretariat, and members of the Party Central Committee, for setting examples, as well as the responsibilities of heads of agencies.

These violations and wrongdoings have triggered public concern and negatively affected the reputation of the Party, the State and the officials themselves.

The relief of officials and Party members, including those holding high positions, is to build a pure and strong Party and State apparatus, demonstrating the supremacy of the law, promoting the sense of responsibility among Party members, and consolidating public trust in the Party.

This helps officials and Party members self-reflect and correct themselves, which is considered a regular, lifelong task.

Regulation No. 41-QD/TW enables all-level leaders to voluntarily leave their current positions when they find that they no longer deserve them, thus showing their political responsibilities before the Party and people.

The imposition of disciplinary measures against leaders at different levels over the past time demonstrates no tolerance in the Party’s and the State’s fight against corruption and other negative phenomena.

Therefore, the personnel screening process has won high consensus within the Party and in the public, significantly contributing to the maintenance of the country's socio-political stability.

Party members and people are aware that tightening Party disciplines and State laws is necessary for the common cause of the nation, and that the responsibilities of heads of agencies for setting examples must be promoted to match their power.

The target of building and rectifying the Party needs to be persistently implemented with greater determination and more drastic actions.