Fight against corruption is far from over: Top leader

Hanoi (VNA) - The fight against corruption is far from over and it remains an arduous and fierce task, newly-re-elected Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong told a press conference announcing the results of the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam in Hanoi on February 1.

Corruption is a problem facing every country all the time, he said, calling it a “disease of people with power and money in their hands that can easily lead to group benefits and negativity.”

In Vietnam, the anti-corruption campaign started in 2013 when the Central Steering Committee on Corruption was founded, he noted, adding that since then a number of corruption cases have been brought to trial with many members of the Party Central Committee and Politburo sentenced to prison and millions of USD and billions of VND recovered.

“I say [the fight against corruption] will neither stop nor rest, no matter who it involves, and there are no restricted areas,” the leader said.

The fight is not about revenge but entirely for humane reasons, he continued, quoting a saying of late President Ho Chi Minh about cutting down an insect-infested branch to save the whole tree. This means punishing several people to warn off and deter others from committing wrongdoings, he said.

The leader also said that the anti-corruption cause is complex and challenging and cannot be done without courage and honesty.

“Who doesn’t like money?” he asked. “But honour is the most noble thing, as nobody can take money with them when they die.”

Larger, more challenging tasks still lay ahead with greater risks and unpredictable turns, he noted further, vowing that he will do his utmost to accomplish his mission and that the tasks can be only fulfilled with the solidarity of the entire Party, people, and military./.