Party leader Trọng's speech at 11th CPVCC's 2nd Plenum

Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng - Photo: VGP

Comrades to the Plenum,

Today, the 11^th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Việt Nam (CPVCC) begins its 2^nd Plenum to discuss and approve the following issues: the Working Program of the 11^th CPVCC; the Working Rules of the CPVCC, the Politburo, and the CPVCC Secretariat; and the Working Rules of CPVCC Commission for Inspection, together with guidelines on amendments and supplements to the 1992 Constitution and introduction of candidates for key positions in State agencies and other key issues. 

On behalf of the Politburo and the CPVCC Secretariat, I warmly welcome the CPVCC members and guests to the Plenum and wish you all health and happiness.

Our Plenum takes place at a time when the entire country is still in a joyous atmosphere which has been buoyed by the success of the 11^th National Party Congress and the comprehensive and landslide victory of the elections to the 13^th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2011 – 2016 term. The whole Party, people and army are making every effort to translate the Resolution of the 11^th National Party Congress into reality and also striving to realize the short-term tasks defined in Conclusions and Directives issued by the Politburo, as well as Resolutions of the National Assembly and the Government so as to avert difficulties and challenges to continue reining in inflation, stabilizing macro-economy, ensuring social welfare, maintaining political stability, security, national defense, and actively preparing for the first working session of the 13^th National Assembly.

On the 11^th CPVCC’s working program: This is very important job that the CPVCC has to undertake in its early plenum as it was deemed to determine contents, steps to be taken, and guidelines for concretizing and instructing the implementation of the Resolution of the 11^th National Party Congress. Holding on the spirit of continuing renewing and innovating the method of issuing resolutions in tandem with infentifying inspection and instruction over the implementation work, I would like to ask the Plenum to focus on discussing and sorting out the most important and essential issues that are fitting the functions, tasks and competence of the CPVCC to include in the working program; ensuring closer and more synchronous links between the focal task on economic development, the key task of Party building and cultural development and development of a spirit foundation for society, in order to successfully implement the general targets for the next five years as defined in the 11^th National Party Congress. The CPVCC should give priority to pressing issues and difficulties that need to be addressed or to the fields needing breakthroughs relating to: continued renovation, development, and efficiency improvement of State-owned enterprises; basic and comprehensive reform of education and training; policies and laws on land; proactive response to climate change, protection of natural resources and the environment; policies on social welfare;  Party building work acceleration and political system strengthening; the fight against corruption, waste, and wrongdoings; promoting democracy and strengthening the State apparatus; firm protection of independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity; and proactive and enthusiastic international integration, etc,.

Regarding the Working Rules of the CPVCC, the Politburo, the CPVCC Secretariat and the CPVCC Commission for Inspection: This is a further step to concretize the Party Statute in order to clarify the functions, tasks, responsibilities, competence, working procedures and working methods of the Party’s organs to ensure that the Party’s working and operating principles, particularly the principle of centralized democracy are strictly followed. Upholding the continuation of the working rules of the 10^th tenure and grasping the spirit of the Resolution of the Party National Congress and the Party Statute of the 11^th tenure, the Working Rules of the 11^th CPVCC, the Politburo, CPVCC Secretariat, and the CPVCC Commission for Inspection need to have specific and reality-based terms that will ensure democracy in all activities of the CPVCC, the Politburo, the CPVCC Secretariat, and the CPVCC Commission for Inspection is promoted further and the Party’s discipline and rules are strictly observed. These also work to maintain collective leadership while increase responsibility of individuals, particularly that of the leaders; enhance the ruling capacity  capacity and leadership efficiency of the Party, and at the same time, promote the role, proactiveness, creativity and responsibilities of other organizations in the political system; and renovate and improve the working style and method of the Party’s organs. Those serve as important foundations contributing to raising the quality and operation efficiency of the Party, boosting the strength, solidarity and unity of the Party, and renovating the Party’s leadership over the State and society.

On the implementation of guidelines on research on amendments and supplements to the 1992 Constitution: As we have all known that the Constitution is an important legal-political document regulating the most essential social relations and it provides the backgrounds and represents the nature of a State and a regime. As the basic Act of a State, the Constitution has the highest legal validity in the legal system, ensuring socio-political stability and national sovereignty. Since the formation of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam, our State had issued four versions of Constitution, namely the 1946 Constitution, 1959 Constitution, 1980 Constitution and 1992 Constitution (which was amended and supplemented in 2001).

The 1992 Constitution was issued in the early years of the renewal process with the aim of  institutionalizing the Political Program on national construction in the transitional period toward the socialism approved at the 7^th National Party Congress (in June, 1991). After 25 years of implementing the renewal process, 20 years of implementing the 1991 Political Program and nearly 20 years of implementing the 1992 Constitution, our country has gained huge achievements of historical significance. The 11^th National Party Congress, on the basis of deeply reviewing the 25-year renewal process in terms of both practicality and theory, adopted a new Political Program on national construction in the transitional period toward socialism (or the 2011 amended and supplemented Political Program), the Socio-economic Development Strategy for the 2011 – 2020 period, and the Political Report of the 11^th National Party Congress, which clearly defined objectives and pathways to continue implementing the renewal in a comprehensive, fast and sustainable manner in the next phase. The Congress also decided that the 1992 Constitution must be quickly studied, amended and supplemented to meet the requirements and revolutionary tasks in the new phase.

However, amending and supplementing the Constitution are very difficult and signiticant and need to be done scientifically and consistently under the CPVCC’s leadership. Thus, at this Plenum, the CPVCC should discuss and provide comments on viewpoints, guiding ideology, key orientations, guidelines, methods of study to summarize, amend and supplement the 1992 Constitution, ensuring the democratic and broad involvement of experts, scientists, managers and the people’s opinion, giving no changes for hostile forces to make corrupt use of this occasion to conduct acts of sabotage and distortion.

On the introduction of candidates for key positions in State agencies: Right after the 11^th National Party Congress, the Politburo assisgned related tasks to its members as well as to members of the CPVCC Secretariat, prepared and introduced the CPVCC members to run for seats in the 13^th National Assembly; and at the same time directed junior Party Committees to continue to consolidate their apparatus and personnel structure. The elections to the 13^th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2011 - 2016 term were successful. Under legal provisions, the first working session of the 13^th National Assembly will be held on July 21, 2011 to discuss a number of important issues, including the election or ratification of key positions of the State apparatus. According to its working rules, the CPVCC is responsible for preparing and introducing candidates for key positions in State agencies. Therefore, at this Plenum, the CPVCC needs to spend adequate time on considering and approving the short-listed candidates for key positions in State agencies to submit to the National Assembly for election or approval under its jurisdiction.

This personnel preparation needs to cling onto and persistently follow the orientations on personnel work defined by the 11^th National Party Congress, ensuring the Party’s overall and harmonious leadership over all fields and regions and creating an aggregate strength. It is needed to oversee the issue comprehensively to place officials on seats that are most appropriate when condition allows; based on the common personnel criteria, the personnel preparation needs to focus on capacity, forte, trained profession, work experience, and tendency of development; it should combine short-term requirements and preparation for the next tenures, as well as between the continuation and development so as to avoid big changes.

Comrades,

The contents submitted to this Plenum are basic and vital issues. Although they have been thoroughly and seriously prepared under the direction of the Politburo, there are certainly found flaws and shortcomings. I would like to ask the CPVCC to devote time to study, discuss and give comments so as to perfect and approve these issues at the end of the Plenum.

Regarding the method to conduct the Plenum, I suggest that the CPVCC should continue to make innovations, even in the agenda schedule, and methods of chairmanship and discussion in the direction that can fully promote democracy and bring into play the brainpower of the CPVCC, optimize time and improve the quality and efficiency of meetings in an open, frank and responsible atmosphere.

In that spirit, I would like to declare the opening of the 2^nd Plenum of the 11^th CPV Central Committee and wish it a success.

Thank you.