Training the revolutionary morality of officers and soldiers of people's public security

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According to the general concept, ethics is a system of rules and social norms expressed in the behavioral relationship of people, between individuals and collectives, and between individuals and society. Thanks to that, people voluntarily adjust their behaviors to suit the standards and beneficial relationships of the community and society. Therefore, morality is considered the good qualities and values of human beings, which need to be built, cultivated, and spread in social life.

From a philosophical point of view, morality is a form of social consciousness, that appears very early in the history of humanity and reflects the social existence in terms of morality. At the same time, it is one of the ways to correct and evaluate the ethical behavior of people in society. Along with the development of socio-economic forms in history, morality reflects those forms and changes according to the movement and development of socio-economic forms. Each moral phenomenon has a social origin and class basis, which is influenced by certain socio-economic characteristics. After all, ethics is a reflection of economic, political, cultural, and social relationships. Moral value is determined in that it serves the progress of society and the well-being of a human. True morality helps the society be stable and progressively advanced, and develop at a higher level of civilization. On the contrary, “immoral”, and “hypocrisy” make truth-false, white-black, and bad-good be mixed. People treat each other, the collective, and the community in a dishonest, even inhuman, and unscrupulous way. The social values are reversed. Discussing the ethics of communism, Lenin said: “It is what contributes to the destruction of the old society of the exploiters and the solidarity of all the workers around the proletariat creating the new society of the communists”⁽¹⁾. This is a revolutionary and scientific concept of ethics in the history of human society. Morality is not only governed by socio-economic conditions, but also influenced by self-awareness and beliefs about oneself, class, ethnicity, and religion according to certain ideals and orientations on value.

According to Ho Chi Minh, morality is the “source” and the foundation of the revolutionaries. Like trees have their root, they will be lush and rivers and streams have a source, they will have water.

A revolutionary must have a revolutionary ethics as the foundation to complete a difficult and arduous revolutionary career. The revolutionary morality not only helps to renovate the old society and build a new one but also helps the revolutionaries constantly train and perfect themselves. If people have a revolutionary ethics, when facing hardships and temporary failures, they will not hesitate to step back. When there are advantages and success, they still maintain modesty, respect, no merit, position, envy, and enjoyment. They will become people who “worry before the worry of the world, are happy after the joy of the world”, sacrifice and dedicate to the common good of the people and the nation. Revolutionary ethics is a system of normative values and the characteristics of the qualities and character of revolutionaries. According to Ho Chi Minh’s point of view, in social life as well as in revolutionary activities, each one has different jobs, talents, and positions. Some people do important things and others do small things. However, people maintaining the morality and character of the revolutionaries, will have the noble qualities. According to him, the revolutionary ethics of the cadres is reflected in the four most important points that are: loyal to the country, filial to the people; loving people; diligence, thrift, integrity, public-private fairness; and a pure international spirit.

Regarding the People’s Public Security Forces, President Ho Chi Minh has a special affection and extremely valuable teachings. After the new revolutionary government was born, he pointed out the revolutionary nature of the People’s Public Security forces and said: “The People’s Public Security Forces are completely different from the imperial police. The imperial police are the imperial forces that oppress the majority of the people... The People’s Public Security Forces must be a model and have to be the person in charge of implementing the Party’s and Government policies and motto well. The People’s Public Security Forces must serve the people”⁽²⁾. Therefore, in a letter to the Director of the Public Security of District XII in 1948, he instructed the People’s Public Security Forces to practice the moral character of the revolutionary policeman:

“For myself, be hardworking, thrifty, clean, and forthright

For a colleague, be cordial and helpful

For Government, be loyal

For people, be respectful and polite

For the work, be committed

For the enemy, be determined and smart ”⁽³⁾.

His teachings on the People’s Public Security Forces have shown the requirements for ethics, talent, and philosophy of life in the revolutionary police. These teachings have met the required quality requirements of a revolutionary cadre in general, and are consistent with the ethical standards of communist members, government officials and civil servants, and police officers and soldiers in particular. The six teachings of President Ho Chi Minh taught the People’s Public Security are the guidelines for all activities of the police force. They are examples for each officer and soldier to look at themselves, identify themselves, adjust their behaviors and regularly cultivate ethical standards and lifestyles to improve themselves.

In the current context, there are complicated developments in the world and the country. The hostile forces and other crimes continue to conduct activities against the Party and State and violate national security and social order and safety. The negative impacts of the market mechanism and negative influences from social networks have affected the psychology, ideology, and emotions of the officers and soldiers of the People’s Public Security. All have made the appearance of violations, violations of party discipline, discipline in the divisions, violations of morality and lifestyle of some officers and soldiers of Public Security. Those are the painful and unfortunate facts that have happened right in the force protecting laws. This requires officers and soldiers of the People’s Public Security to be constantly alert, constantly study and practice revolutionary ethics according to what Uncle Ho taught.

Each officer and soldier of the People’s Public Security Forces must set an example of hard work and diligence in studying, practicing political bravery, and improving legal knowledge and profession to be able to complete the assigned tasks. They must set an example to save time and money for themselves, their agencies, organizations, the country, and the people. They must always be exemplary and have a simple lifestyle that is close to the mass. It is necessary to set an example of integrity, fairness, no arrangements for personal or group benefits, talking goes hand in hand with doing, speaking less and doing more, and being steadfast and responsible with their words and promises. Officers and soldiers of the People’s Public Security Forces must set an example of solidarity, attachment, unity, love, support, and assistance to each other at work and in life. The relationship between comrades and teammates must be built based on belief and work as the relationship between members in the family, which always has love, mutual support, and mutual assistance in work and in life. That is also the revolutionary morality of the officers and soldiers of the People’s Public Security Forces, which has been formulated by the Central Party Committee of Public Security into Regulation No. 01-QDi/DUCA on the responsibility to set the example of cadres and party members. First of all, they are the Standing Committee members, members of the Party Central Committee of Public Security, and heads of Public Security at units and localities. The Ministry of Public Security has also institutionalized some content on revolutionary morality in Circular 27/2017/TT-BCA on the Code of Conduct of the People’s Public Security Forces.

To continue to improve the quality and effectiveness of training the revolutionary morality of officers and soldiers of the People’s Public Security for meeting the requirements and tasks in the new situation, we propose to well implement some following contents:

Firstly, it is necessary to increase the responsibility to set the example of the Party committees, leaders, officials, and soldiers at all levels in the People’s Public Security Forces.

First of all, cadres, party members, especially the heads of the party committees, units, leaders must raise awareness, raise the sense of responsibility, regularly cultivate, train, be self-conscious, and exemplary in studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and style. It is necessary to be associated with the strict implementation of the Central Public Security Party’s Regulation No. 01-QDi/DUCA-X03 dated January 28, 2016 on the responsibility of setting the example of cadres and party members, especially, the Standing Committee members, members of the Party Central Committee of Public Security and heads of Public Security of units and localities... Party committees and leaders of units proactively formulate, supplement and complete rules, processes, regulations, and criteria in setting an example. It is necessary to value the responsibility and self-awareness of the leaders and key leaders, and implement the motto “above first, below after”, “inside first, outside after” and “launching goes hand in hand with acting”. We must combine “building” with “preventing” and consider “building” as the core. It is necessary to regularly organize review, criticism, and self-criticism, “self-checking”, “self-correcting” and “self-identifying”. We need to build style, working style according to Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality, and style. We should organize the signing of commitments and covenants to implement exemplary criteria of leaders in preserving political quality and revolutionary morality, and cultivating according to six things Uncle Ho taught the People’s Public Security...

Secondly, it is necessary to continue to promote and do better communication and education so that all officers and soldiers of the People’s Public Security have a profound awareness of the moral connotation of the Revolutionary Police according to Six Things Uncle Ho taught. From there, they can build up their beliefs and determination to learn and practice morals and lifestyle according to his teachings. Communication should be rich in content and form. In terms of content, we need to build short, easy-to-understand, and easy-to-remember criteria, and standards, associated with the requirements and tasks of the job in each field and working unit. In terms of form, we need to renew and effectively use various forms, focusing on communication through the mass media, especially the press agencies of the People’s Public Security Forces with a diversified and plentiful system of reporters and editors who have political skills, professional qualifications, and legal knowledge.

Thirdly, it is necessary to promote the organization for cadres and soldiers to systematically study topics on the ideology and example of morality and style of Ho Chi Minh. In which, we should focus on learning and mastering the works named “Modifying the way of working”; “Revolutionary morality”, “Improving revolutionary morality, eliminating individualism”, and “Will” of President Ho Chi Minh so that each officer and soldier can understand, study and follow. We need to create conditions for agencies and units, especially the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to conduct activities of discussions, exchanges, seminars, exams, scientific conferences, and good reporters about revolutionary morality according to Six things Uncle Ho taught. The communication department of the People’s Public Security Forces must focus on extensive propaganda and opening columns and topics on cultivating and training the revolutionary morality according to the six things Uncle Ho taught to communication, educate and raise awareness and responsibility for cultivating and training revolutionary morality for cadres and soldiers of the People’s Public Security Forces.

Fourthly, it is necessary to value and promote the initiative, creativity, self-awareness of cultivating and training the revolutionary morality of each officer and soldier. Revolutionary morality is not easy to obtain. Economic growth has not been accompanied by an increase in the value of revolutionary morality. It is not true that if the material and spiritual life is improved, the deterioration of thought, morality, and lifestyle will be automatically overcome. Because the formation and development of revolutionary moral qualities of each officer and soldier do not happen spontaneously. It must be through the process of education, self-education, and training of each person. President Ho Chi Minh pointed out: “Revolutionary morality is not easy to get. It is developed and strengthened by struggle and training every day. Like, the more the gem is sharpened, the brighter it is - the more gold is tempered, the more glitter it is”⁽⁴⁾. Therefore, each officer and soldier must always train, regularly study, improve his knowledge on politics, law, and profession, and revolutionary moral values according to the six things Uncle Ho taught to self-improve. It is necessary to pay attention to and do well in educating traditional ethics and promoting the ethical values of the nation. We should combine ethical education and political, ideological, and legal education. It is necessary to combine moral education with promoting the fight against individualism.

Fifthly, the authorities, the media and the press, especially the press of the People’s Public Security force need to promote propaganda to raise the vigilance of cadres, soldiers, and people. It is necessary to expose the conspiracies, methods, tricks, and activities of the hostile forces and all kinds of crimes which conduct activities to de-politicize the People’s Public Security forces, slander, distort or smear their image, causing divisions and disunity in the People’s Public Security Forces and between the People’s Public Security Forces and other forces. At the same time, the press and media agencies need to promote communication and spread advanced examples of cultivating and training revolutionary morality in the People’s Public Security Forces. This is also a front to fight against the destruction of ideology, false claims, and hostility, and to protect the legacies and good values of the Party and State. It makes an important contribution to protecting national security and interests and building revolutionary morality for cadres in general and for officers and soldiers of the People’s Public Security force in particular.

The training of revolutionary morality for officers and soldiers of the People’s Public Security Forces has an important role in enhancing the quality value and moral character of the People’s Public Security Forces. It helps to eliminate negative manifestations, degradation in political ideology, morality, lifestyle, backwardness, and depression in each officer and soldier. It helps us build a clean, strong, formal, elite, and modern People’s Public Security force to meet the requirements and tasks of protecting political security and social order, and safety in the new situation. To fulfill this important task and requirement, each agency, unit, officer, and soldier of the People’s Public Security must strive to overcome all difficulties, challenges, and temptations. They must be determined, hard-working, enthusiastic in working, fighting, studying, and practicing revolutionary ethics according to the six things Uncle Ho taught to improve themselves and deserve the love of the Party, the State, and the people.

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Endnotes:

(1) Vladimir Lenin: Complete Works, vol.8, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2007, p.324.

(2) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.7, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.269.

(3), (4) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.5, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.498-499, 134.

COLONEL NGUYEN THI THUY THANH, MA