Clarifying the criteria for ethnic minority representatives to participate in the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee

This scientific workshop is of great significance in assessing the positive and negative aspects of representatives participating in the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, thereby drawing lessons, proposing viewpoints, recommending appropriate and feasible solutions, serving as a scientific basis for policy making; inheriting and promoting the role of prestigious representatives in the community.

Dr. Lo Giang Pao, Vice Chairman of the Advisory Council on Ethnic Minorities, speaks. Photo: Tien Dat.

At the Workshop, Dr. Lo Giang Pao, Deputy Head of the Ethnic Advisory Council, said that in order to promote the role of ethnic minority representatives participating in the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee at all levels in the new period, there needs to be coordination in enhancing capacity, raising awareness of representatives and responsibility for sustainable development at all levels of local government, and all regions need to promote advantages for development, in which the role of representatives includes activities accompanying the community.

Along with that, the representative widely attracts mass organizations and people of all walks of life into the process of selecting and implementing local development plans, enhancing coordination between state management agencies to ensure inter-sectoral, inter-regional and inter-territoriality.

“Representatives of ethnic minorities need to develop sustainable development programs for regions and localities in order to create unity in the awareness of sectors, levels and society about the position and role of prestigious representatives of ethnic minorities, unify the management work of prestigious representatives in localities and unify the form of organization, implementation of regimes and policies for representatives”, Mr. Lo Giang Pao expressed his opinion.

Dr. Be Truong Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Advisory Council on Ethnic Minorities, speaks. Photo: Tien Dat.

According to Dr. Be Truong Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Ethnic Advisory Council, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee is currently the only organization that has enough representatives of all ethnic groups in our country. The criteria for selection and consultation to participate in the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee are basically and mainly core forces recommended by localities.

"The proportion of ethnic minorities in the total national population is 14.7%; of which the highest is Cao Bang province with 94.8% and the lowest is Dong Thap province with 0.13%. With such a highly dispersed distribution, which provinces and cities need to have a representative structure of ethnic minorities participating in the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee at the local level? The determination and selection of ethnic minority representatives to participate in the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee at all levels needs to be considered comprehensively using a system of criteria and taking into account the characteristics and specific factors of the regions," Mr. Thanh raised the issue.

Mr. Dinh Hong Van, Member of the Advisory Council on Ethnic Minorities, speaks. Photo: Tien Dat.

Mr. Dinh Hong Van, Member of the Advisory Council on Ethnic Minorities, said that members of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee at the grassroots level must be prestigious people in the local ethnic minority community, pioneers in labor, production, socio-economic development, hunger eradication, poverty reduction, preserving and promoting national cultural identity, protecting the ecological environment, making an important contribution to strengthening the great national unity bloc, maintaining political security, social order and safety, and being an important bridge between Party committees, authorities, and the Fatherland Front at all levels and the local ethnic communities.

"At the central level, special attention should be paid to those who have great influence in one or more ethnic communities, have a deep understanding of policies and laws, have a heart and vision, and are able to criticize and contribute to the development of State policies and laws, especially ethnic policies," Mr. Van suggested.

Mr. Cam Doan, Member of the Advisory Council on Ethnic Minorities, speaks. Photo: Tien Dat.

From another perspective, Mr. Cam Doan, member of the Advisory Council on Ethnic Minorities, said that the key task of the members representing ethnic minorities in the coming period is to focus on implementing tasks to strengthen the great national unity bloc, preserve, conserve and promote the cultural identity of ethnic minorities.

"Ethnic minority representatives participating in the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee must be fluent in their ethnic language, understand the customs, habits, and culture of their ethnic group, especially ethnic culture," Mr. Cam Doan proposed.

Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Huu Dung speaks at the Workshop. Photo: Tien Dat.

Speaking at the Conference, Vice Chairman Nguyen Huu Dung affirmed that the Scientific Workshop has important and practical significance, contributing to helping the Standing Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee develop a personnel project to serve the 10th National Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front for the 2024-2029 term, scheduled to take place at the end of 2024.

According to Vice Chairman Nguyen Huu Dung, the opinions presented at the Workshop clarified the theoretical and practical basis for the criteria of ethnic minority representatives participating in the membership of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee at all levels in the new period, further clarifying the positive role of ethnic minority representatives in socio-economic development, national construction and defense. At the same time, lessons were drawn on promoting the role of ethnic minority representatives in participating in the development and implementation of socio-economic development policies. Thereby, proposing viewpoints, recommendations, solutions, and proposing some viewpoints on criteria as a scientific basis for the development of policies to effectively promote the role of representatives in sustainable development of ethnic minority areas in the new period.

Vice President Nguyen Huu Dung presented a Certificate of Merit from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front to Ms. Bui Thi Thanh, Chairwoman of the Ethnic Advisory Council. Photo: Tien Dat.

Acknowledging the contributions and sense of responsibility of the members of the Advisory Council on Ethnic Minorities, Vice Chairman Nguyen Huu Dung suggested that the Ethnic Minorities Committee of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front absorb the opinions presented at the Workshop, synthesize and send them to the Standing Committee to serve as a basis for completing the selection of ethnic minority representatives to participate in the membership of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committees at all levels in the new term.

On this occasion, Vice President Nguyen Huu Dung awarded the Certificate of Merit of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front to Ms. Bui Thi Thanh, Chairwoman of the Ethnic Advisory Council for her outstanding contributions to the work of the Front.