Hanoi (VNA) - Leaders of theMinistry of Public Security, the Ministry of National Defence, and the SupremePeople’s Court on January 27 stressed the importance of comprehensive reformand the building of a clean and strong public security force, a modern army,and a civilised and modern judicial sector.

Delivering a speech at the 13th National PartyCongress, Gen. To Lam, Politburo member, Secretary of the Central PublicSecurity Party Committee, and Minister of Public Security, said that during the2016-2021 tenure, the people’s public security force did a thorough job of understandingand forecasting the situation and presenting proposals to the Party and Stateto issue and steer the implementation of strategic, fundamental, and long-termguidelines, policies, and viewpoints about security - order protection andpublic security force building.

That helped create a peaceful and stableenvironment for socio-economic development, the expansion of externalrelations, and improvements to the country’s stature, he noted.

To successfully carry out the content on security- order protection in the 13th National Party Congress’s resolution, theCentral Public Security Party Organisation and the entire public security forcewill thoroughly understand and seriously implement the Party’s guidelines andpolicies so as to press on with comprehensive reforms, he went on.

Lam emphasised that the force will keep a firmgrasp of the situation quickly and from afar so as to provide timely advice tothe Party and State on guidelines, solutions, mechanisms, policies, and laws toprotect the national interest, sovereignty, and security; maintain strategicproactiveness; and strongly bring into play the people’s role in securityaffairs.

Speaking at the congress, Sen. Lt. Gen. Phan VanGiang, member of the Party Central Committee, member of the Standing Board ofthe Central Military Commission, Chief of the General Staff of the VietnamPeople’s Army (VPA), and Deputy Minister of National Defence, said that duringthe last tenure, the VPA firmly maintained and upheld its nature and traditionsas a heroic, united, proactive, and creative army that has exerted efforts toweather difficulties and challenges and comprehensively fulfil its duties,thereby helping to firmly safeguard independence and sovereignty and maintain apeaceful and stable environment for national development.

He emphasised improvements in awareness,responsibility, and action in the entire Party, the people, the army, and the policysystem in army building, defence consolidation, and Fatherland safeguarding;along with the enhancement of the Party’s absolute leadership in every aspect,as well as the State’s concentrated and united management of the army andnational defence.

Delegates from the VPA’s Party Organisationproposed that for 2021-2026, the Party should continue leading the army andrelevant forces to improve the VPA’s capacity in forecasting and advising theParty and State on military and defence affairs to protect the Fatherland inthe new context; identify overall, fundamental, and long-term guidelines andsolutions to dispel any risk of conflict early and from afar and avoid beingcaught by surprise in all circumstances; and stay proactive and ready toeffectively respond to non-traditional security challenges, according to Giang.

He also highlighted the need to promote thebuilding of people-based defence; the association of people-based defence withpeople-based security; the combination of ensuring strong defence - securitywith economic affairs; the reform and improvement of military training,education, and science; the development of a self-reliant, resilient, modern,and dual-purpose defence industry; along with the promotion of substantivedefence diplomacy in order to protect the country’s interests early on and fromafar, and by peaceful means.

The Party should continue its absolute anddirect leadership over the VPA in every respect; build a regular, elite, andgradually modern army; prioritise the modernisation of certain militaryservices, arms, and forces to create a solid prerequisite for building a modernarmy from 2030; and build a politically strong army that has strong combatantcapacity and is an absolutely faithful and trustworthy political and combatforce of the Party, State, and people, Giang added.
In his speech, Vice Secretary of the PartyCommittee and Standing Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court, LeHong Quang, underlined that building a strong and prosperous nation inassociation with a civilised and modern judicial sector is an important part of“Doi Moi” (Renewal).

As stepping up judicial reform is an inexorable trendin building a law-governed State, the Party Committee of the Supreme People’sCourt proposed several viewpoints and reform tasks for the coming time,affirming that the court sector is persistent in the principle that the Partyhas comprehensive, united, and direct leadership over judicial agencies; that judicialreform is for the sake of national development; that judicial reform is acrucial driving force for promoting the quality and effectiveness of judicialactivities and the Party-led corruption fight; and that the judicial sector worksto serve the people.

Proposals include perfecting regulations;upholding democracy; protecting people’s rights and legitimate interests viathe completion of the people’s assessor institution; completing the mechanismfor monitoring judicial activities for people-elected agencies and the people;making use of IT development to build smart and e-courts; and placing emphasis onthe position and role of the agencies exercising judicial power in thepolitical system./.