President Ho Chi Minh once affirmed: In the sky, nothing is more precious than the people. In the world, nothing is stronger than the unity of the people. That is not only a political view but also a philosophy of development, a law of success of the Vietnamese revolution.
The historical reality of the Vietnamese revolution has profoundly proven that ideology. From its birth to the implementation of the renovation process (1930 - 1986), in more than half a century, there were periods and times when we had to face countless difficulties and challenges, not only "difformable ten times, hundred times", sometimes "difficult a thousand times, ten thousand times", the revolution declined, "a thousand scales hanging on a strand of hair", seemingly unovercome. But with two most basic factors, the correct and steadfast leadership, the intelligence and bravery of the Party and the strength of the people, we have created a historical miracle: From a colonial country gaining independence, building a people's democratic regime, gradually transitioning to socialism.
Speaking according to President Ho Chi Minh, we are a small country that has defeated two large empires, France and the United States, built socialism, and brought progressive innovation to the country, society and people. We have built a "tour of victory" from the root, foundation, consensus, support, will, intelligence, initiative, and source of strength of the people as President Ho Chi Minh summarized: "Building a tour of victory on the foundation of the people"[1].
The turning point of Doi Moi in 1986 continued to affirm the sustainable value of Ho Chi Minh's thought about the role of the people. Before the requirement to innovate thinking to bring the country through the crisis, the VI Congress of the Party identified the first lesson "in all its activities, the Party must thoroughly grasp the ideology of "taking the people as the root", building and promoting the right to mastery of the working people"[2].
On the basis of affirming that the masses are the ones who make history and the Party has only one purpose, which is to fight for the happiness of the people, the 6th Congress recognized and highly appreciated the role of the people: "Our people are very revolutionary, have very precious qualities, have gone through over half a century of continuous fighting, enduring countless sacrifices and hardships, always upholding revolutionary heroism, hard work, and brave fighting for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland and for socialism.
Under the light of the VI Congress, our Party successfully implemented many tasks, contributing to solving many political, economic, cultural, and social issues, including the relationship between the Party and the people. That is the basis for the VII Congress of the Party to decide to approve the Platform for building the country in the transitional period to socialism (Platform 1991). The Platform draws great lessons, in which the second lesson affirms: "The revolutionary cause belongs to the people, by the people and for the people. It is the people who create historical victories. All activities of the Party must originate from the legitimate interests and aspirations of the people. The strength of the Party lies in the close bond with the people. Bureaucracy, orders, and alienation from the people will lead to unpredictable losses to the destiny of the country" [3].
Since then, through each Congress, the ideology "the people are the root" has been constantly supplemented, developed and concretized to suit the development requirements of the country in each period. This shows that this is not only a historical lesson but has become a consistent principle in building the Party and the political system.
The 14th Congress continued to affirm the lesson of taking the people as the root, promoting democracy and the people's right to mastery; relying on the people to build the Party; implementing the motto "the people know, the people discuss, the people do, the people check, the people supervise, the people benefit". Our Party affirms: "The people are the root"; The highest measure of all policies.
At the National Conference to study, study, thoroughly grasp and implement the Resolution of the 14th Party Congress, General Secretary To Lam (now General Secretary, President To Lam) emphasized the Party's viewpoint on the satisfaction of the people, improving people's lives is the value of the resolution, the highest measure of the implementation of Party resolutions. According to the head of our Party, shortening the gap from resolution to result must be by the practical values that the people enjoy and by the people's trust and love for the Party.
Thus, it can be seen that in the Vietnamese revolutionary process and throughout 40 years of renovation, our Party has constantly applied and creatively developed Ho Chi Minh's ideology about "the people are the root". That steadfastness has consolidated the people's belief in the Party, promoted the strength of the great national unity and created great and historically significant achievements in all fields. History has proven that all victories of the Vietnamese revolution originate from the strength of the people. In the new era of development, the lesson "the people are the root" is not only continuing to be the ideological foundation but also a decisive condition to realize the goal of building a country that develops quickly, sustainably, strongly and prosperously. Just as President Ho Chi Minh advised: "When the people help us a lot, we succeed a lot, when they help us little, we succeed a little, when they help us completely, we win completely"[4].
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* Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Dinh Phong - former Senior Lecturer, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics
[1] Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, No. 5, p. 502.
[2] Communist Party of Vietnam: Documents of the 6th National Congress, Truth Publishing House, Hanoi, 1987, p. 29
[3] Communist Party of Vietnam - Documents of the 7th National Congress: Platform for building the country in the transitional period to socialism, Truth Publishing House, Hanoi, 1991, p. 5.
[4] Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, No. 7, p. 270.
