The dangers of "factions and group interests"

Illustration. (Source: thanhtra.com.vn)

Once, during a chat over tea and wine, after stories about heaven and earth..., somehow the story of "factions and group interests" related to cadres and party members became so lively. My friend took the opportunity to “talk nonsense”: “Oh my, I thought it was something big, but the story of “fraternizing, forming cliques” or “factions and group interests” is nothing new, it happens everywhere. Let me show you, my friend talked endlessly: Just remember, look at the cases and incidents related to cadres and party members that the press and media have been talking about for a long time, especially negative cases, embezzlement, corruption… every case is more or less related to “factions and group interests”, “cliques”, that’s why whenever there is a violation, the whole “interest group”, the “whole chain” is dealt with, no one can escape, no one can “eat” alone…, just look back and see!

Yes, my friend has a point! If we follow the press and media, it is not difficult to recognize the signs of collusion, connection, and connection of "interest groups" from typical major corruption cases in areas such as: Viet A, AIC, Vietnam Register, Van Thinh Phat, SCB Bank... resulting in a large number of cadres and party members being disciplined, prosecuted, and detained.

Specifically, the case occurred at Viet A Company, this is a typical case of violations in the medical field. The authorities have prosecuted and investigated 33 cases, 133 defendants. Among them, there are 3 members of the Party Central Committee who are ministers, former ministers and provincial party secretaries; 1 deputy minister, 1 assistant to the Deputy Prime Minister and many department and bureau level officials, leaders of organizations, local medical facilities...

The case related to AIC Company - a typical example of violations in bidding and auction manipulation, this case has prosecuted 04 cases, 71 defendants, in which 1 former provincial party secretary, 1 former provincial chairman and many officials under the management of the provincial party committee have been criminally prosecuted.

The Van Thinh Phat case is a case that occurred at Van Thinh Phat Group, SCB Bank - a typical example of violations in the banking sector, using banks as a backyard for businesses, in the ecosystem. In this major case, 3 cases were prosecuted, 108 defendants, of which 23 defendants are department and bureau leaders, officers of inspection, auditing, banking inspection and supervision agencies and leaders of inspection and banking in some localities.

The case occurred at the Vietnam Register and local registration centers - typical of systematic and prolonged violations. The agencies prosecuted 114 cases/808 defendants in 49 localities, many related officials and party members were arrested...

Through the typical cases above, it partly shows the manifestations of "factions and group interests" in a large number of cadres and party members. Of course, not all cadres and party members who commit violations are related to "factions and group interests". But looking at the cases with the number of cadres and party members being handled, it is quite clear that there is collusion, connection, and connection between elements above and below, inside and outside to share the benefits from negativity. Not all, but perhaps the fertile lands where the worms and worms eat away at the State's and the People's money are not easy to act alone, they must have a group, colluding into "factions and group interests". Stringing together the cases, basically the negative behaviors, embezzlement, and corruption are all divided by "factions and group interests". This is an existing reality and is at risk of being transformed with increasingly sophisticated tricks.

“Factions and group interests” are really dangerous… Many people ask, Do cadres and party members know this before making mistakes and violations? I think, People know, they know, they know it is wrong, but sometimes they just click their tongues, "keep their mouths shut and take the money" or for other personal interests, they collude with cliques to divide the spoils... The proverb says: "fear the person who is right, fear the person who gives food" to warn people to always be careful in dealing with others, when faced with benefits, they cannot help but consider carefully, even if it is simply a piece of food. Unfortunately, today, it seems that the teachings of the ancients have been forgotten by many people. That is why there is an irony for cadres and party members who fall into the situation of "opening their mouths and getting caught in the trap", only when the violations are discovered do these cadres and party members show remorse and regret... but it is too late.

Perhaps the story of “factions and group interests” has existed and is existing in a large number of cadres and party members, which is no longer strange to many people. According to my friend’s point of view: “Not to mention far away, even in each family, sometimes there are still cliques and factions, let alone in collectives, agencies, and organizations, which is also normal”. However, the type of clique or in other words, following “this side”, “that side” if only revolving around similar or different viewpoints and interests to form groups with common interests of a positive nature, it is not bad at all, it is only bad and very harmful when dividing into cliques to create “cliques”, “interest groups” to collect and share benefits from negativity, even exploiting any loopholes of agencies, organizations, the State and the People…

In any organization or agency, if there are “factions and group interests”, there will be a risk of disunity, fighting, secret competition, even using all means to create influence, affirm the position of the “interest group” as well as the illusion of personal strength, the illusion of power in a brazen and crude way. This is a clear manifestation of the situation of “group interests”, “cronies”, “your rights, my rights”, “the rights of my faction”. Accordingly, it is the “interest problem” and of course it will include all the benefits that the “interest group” has the opportunity to possess, from information, money to the work of organizing cadres… using tricks to “lobby, surround…” and the votes of confidence, voting, cadre planning… are no longer objective, impartial, and pure as inherent in the nature of democracy.

During his lifetime, President Ho Chi Minh repeatedly condemned the “disease” of forming cliques and factions and called it the “clique” disease within the Party. He concluded: “ Cliques are drawn from relatives, kinsmen, grandchildren, great- grandchildren , confidants, and even extended to people from the same neighborhood and hometown; then “drinking with uncles and brothers”, praising and supporting each other, using the majority, taking advantage of and distorting the principle of democratic centralism, forcing good and talented people who are not in the same “clique” to “destroy”, to secede, to manipulate…”

The danger of the phenomenon of “factions and group interests” is not small, it is the cause of the diseases of “manipulation, abuse of power, abuse of power, flattery…” of cadres and party members. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has warned many times about the dangers of this phenomenon with simple but extremely profound sayings: “crabs rely on their claws, fish rely on their fins…” . The temptations of interests, the “sugar-coated bullets” have defeated many cadres and party members who were previously considered loyal cadres and party members with vows of dedication and loyalty to the interests of the Party, the Country and the People.

The phenomenon of “factions and group interests” must be prevented early and from afar, because this is also one of the causes leading to the loss of people’s trust in the Party. More than anyone else, cadres and party members, especially leaders in agencies and organizations, must be deeply aware of the dangers of the phenomenon of “factions and group interests”; Absolutely do not let personal interests dominate and influence you, so that you actively or unintentionally turn yourself into a "factionalist" without realizing it; absolutely do not let yourself fall into the vortex of interests and forget your duties and responsibilities as a Party member to the Party, the Country and the People./.

According to the Communist Party of Vietnam

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