Nhan Dan Online features an article by Party Politburo member, Ministerof Public Security, General Tran Dai Quang on General Vo Nguyen Giap’ssentiment towards the People’s Public Security.
General Vo Nguyen Giap, an outstanding disciple of President Ho ChiMinh, the “Eldest Brother” of the People’s Army of Vietnam, theworld-renowned military strategist and the revered general of thepeople, is the pride of all members of the people’s armed forces.
The life of General Vo Nguyen Giap, who is known familiarly as BrotherVan, is associated with the struggle for national liberation,unification and the construction of a socialist Vietnam. During his103-year life, General Giap dedicated more than 80 years to nationalindependence and socialism. He made enormous contributions to thearduous yet glorious national revolution, and to the art of war ofVietnam and the world.
No matter what position heheld, General Vo Nguyen Giap always devoted his entire ability,intelligence and effort to the motherland and the people. His whole lifeis tied to the revolution led by the Party and beloved Uncle Ho.
General Vo Nguyen Giap was the first Minister of the Interior in theprovisional revolutionary government of the Democratic Republic ofVietnam formed in August 1945. He continued to hold this post in theprovisional coalition government formed on January 1, 1946. Facing newchallenges in the struggle against counter-revolutionary elements toprotect the fledgling revolutionary government, General Vo Nguyen Giapunified different units and strengthened the public security forcenationwide in accordance with Decree 23-SL, signed on February 21, 1946by President Ho Chi Minh to form the Vietnamese Public SecurityDepartment.
Under the effective leadership of theParty Central Committee and General Giap, the People’s Public Securityfoiled many sabotage plots and subversive activities attempted by thecounter-revolutionaries, especially the coup plot hatched by theNationalist Party of Vietnam and the French colonialists in the On NhuHau incident, which came at a time when the fledgling revolutionarygovernment was on shaky ground.
General Vo NguyenGiap gave high praise to the contributions and feats of the People’sPublic Security Force at that time, saying: “The On Nhu Hau incident hasput down the reactionaries. The crackdown not only crushed theopposition and foiled the coup plot but also won the approval andsupport of the people both at home and abroad. The On Nhu Hau is anoutstanding achievement of our counterintelligence and the People’sPublic Security Force. It is not only a strong blow to the reactionarieswho colluded with foreign forces to seize power in Hanoi, but also anevent to help everyone realise who the traitors are. The incident helpsus build up more public support, enabling us to further strengthen thegovernment. I consider this incident a very important one. You are veryclever and responsible.”
General Vo Nguyen Giapstressed that the public security must always be vigilant in discoveringall plots of the enemy while at the same time mobilising additionalpublic support for the campaign against the reactionaries. The Generalnoted that the army and the public security are involved in directfights with the enemy, so they should be strong and healthy. He said ifthe officers are not on high alert and lack the morale to fight, theyare unlikely to fulfil their duty. General Giap instructed: “Publicsecurity officers must always take Uncle Ho’s six teachings as thelodestar for all of their actions. Every one of Uncle Ho’s teachings isimportant, but there is a reason behind the order of his teachings,which teaching comes first and which teaching comes later.” The Generalstated: “The press in general and the press of the public security needto arouse patriotic sentiment in the people. Under any circumstances,all Vietnamese should be proud of their country and its people.”
Instilled with Uncle Ho’s teaching that “the public security and thearmy are the two hands of the people, Party and Government”, GeneralGiap always paid attention to strengthening the collaboration betweenthe People’s Army and the People’s Public Security, and affirmed thatthe army and the public security share the same duties of defending thenation and preserving public security. The army fights against foreignaggressors while the public security fights against domestic enemies.The two tasks are inextricably linked and cannot be separatedcompletely.
Fully aware of the fact that people’spublic security officers belong to the people, come from the people andwork for the people, at the national public security conference in 1956General Giap directed: “Public security officers belong to the people,protect the people, protect the accomplishments of the revolution sothey have to forge a close link with the people. Our army is the army ofthe people, our army is able to defeat the enemy because we fight forthe sake of the people and have the people’s backing. The publicsecurity also clinches victories because of its reliance on the people,trust in the people and unity with the people.” Nearly 40 years later,General Giap stated: “Public security officers must always be trueservants of the people who protect justice, protect the administrationand protect the revolutionary accomplishments.”
General Vo Nguyen Giap has passed away but his directives remainvaluable to the People’s Public Security. The People’s Public Securitypromises to fulfil the tasks successfully and co-ordinate closely withthe People’s Army and other agencies to ensure security, maintain publicorder, and protect the peaceful and happy life of the people.
General Vo Nguyen Giap stands as a shining example of a greatpersonality with a blend of profound wisdom, deep humanity, immensegenerosity and genuine love for the people. He is a symbol of theVietnamese people’s love for peace and fraternity; an icon forgenerations of public security officers to revere and follow. Hiscareer, merits and great qualities will live on forever in the heart ofevery member of the People’s Army and the People’s Public Security.-VNA