Hundreds of years ago, during the time of Le Loi and Nguyen Trai, much was said about RESPECTING THE PEOPLE. A strong nation must have its people as its foundation; that the people can steer the boat, but they can also overturn it. President Ho Chi Minh said: "With the people's hearts, anything can be accomplished; against the people's will, one can only run around aimlessly."
Following the ideology of President Ho Chi Minh, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong instructed cadres: "If we act in accordance with the will of the people, the people will trust us, and our regime and our Party will endure. Conversely, if we act against the will of the people, losing their trust means losing everything." Because "The people's power is like water; it is the people who carry the boat, but it is also the people who can overturn it," we need to trust the people, love the people, and sincerely apologize to them, without fanfare or embellishment. We shouldn't use it to enhance the image of the cadres. President Ho Chi Minh taught that we need to know how to apologize to the people properly, and more importantly, we must know how to correct our mistakes.
Reiterating the core points about RESPECTING THE PEOPLE at this time is not superfluous. On his personal page, journalist and poet Tran Gia Thai, former Director General of Hanoi Radio and Television, discussed the national television station's "Apology to the People" segment. The former Director General explained and shared his thoughts on the "Apology to the People" segment, essentially saying: Apologizing to the people is a way of showing respect for them, but it needs to be genuine; officials who know how to apologize must also know how to correct their mistakes. Previously, during the land reform period and later the rectification of mistakes, President Ho Chi Minh publicly apologized to the people. His apology was heartfelt, sincere, and profound, and he demanded that mistakes be corrected promptly and effectively so that the people would be grateful.
Today, many officials make mistakes and therefore need to apologize to the people. Such apologies are truly commendable. Journalist and poet Tran Gia Thai added a suggestion: Perhaps, to balance things out, the television station should also add a section on apologizing to the Party, so that corrupt and degenerate Party members who violate Party discipline and go against President Ho Chi Minh's teachings have a place to express their remorse and regret. Would that be appropriate?
Associate Professor, Lieutenant General Nguyen Tuan Dung was commissioned by the People's Police Magazine to write an article that is both theoretical and deeply practical on "The People's Hearts and Minds"; that the trust (and even the decline) of the people is due to the moral and lifestyle degradation of a significant number of cadres and Party members – including high-ranking cadres and Party members – who violate Party discipline and break the law. To achieve "The People's Hearts and Minds," first and foremost, the people must love, respect, and trust – trust in the people's cadres – through actions, not just empty words.
Let me give one example among many: A provincial leader, during his time as chairman of a large commercial bank, seriously violated Party regulations, State laws, regulations on what Party members are not allowed to do, and the responsibility of setting an example in declaring and transparently disclosing assets and income; he provided dishonest explanations of the origin and changes in his assets; the violations were systematic, prolonged over many years, causing very serious consequences, creating negative public opinion and resentment, affecting the Party's prestige, and damaging his personal reputation. He had a lot of money; where did that enormous sum come from? When asked, he was speechless, more hesitant than a chicken with its head stuck in a fence. Glimpsing in the horizon were the ill-gotten gains he had accumulated – the kind of primitive capital accumulation that the classical thinker Karl Marx spoke of. How can the people trust such an official? Simply apologizing to the people is not enough, and even severe disciplinary action will not satisfy the people. Furthermore, should the law include sanctions to confiscate illicit funds and return them to the people? And what lessons should be learned regarding personnel management and the mechanisms for managing cash flow in commercial banks, so that there are no more loopholes that allow an elephant to squeeze through a needle's eye?
In many places, the rapid urbanization process has led to situations where officials are greedily seizing land from the people; project land and agricultural land are being transformed into residential land, land for commercial areas, golf courses, resettlement areas, etc. The wrongdoing is blatant, but simply apologizing to the people is not enough. More importantly, there needs to be a legally codified system of regulations and sufficiently strict sanctions to prevent any loopholes from occurring.
Returning to the topic of "Apologizing to the People" that journalist and poet Tran Gia Thai has been discussing, it's time that apologies to the people should no longer be merely ceremonial, done for the sake of appearances, or to show respect for the people. Instead, they need to be substantive, involving serious and effective handling of cases, with the necessary deterrent effect, and with mechanisms for managing people and controlling the greed of corrupt officials. How can we achieve this?
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