On 23/6, during a meeting with cadres whose planning falls under Politburo management, General Secretary and President To Lam emphasized that building a team of qualified, capable, and reputable cadres at all levels, especially strategic ones, is a decisive task for the nation's development.

According to him, strategic cadres must not only participate in policy-making but also be able to organize the implementation of major policies, address critical issues, unite the team, maintain discipline, and protect national interests during challenging times.

The Party and State leader affirmed that strategic cadre planning is not merely a human resources task or solely for one congress or term. It must be viewed as a component of strategic management, preparing for the Party's future leadership and the country's long-term development.

General Secretary and President To Lam speaking on the afternoon of 23/6. Photo: Communist Party Information Portal

"Therefore, we must decisively overcome the mindset that views planning as reserving a spot, waiting for a turn, or guaranteeing a position," he stated. He emphasized that planning must be "open" yet maintain standards, "dynamic" yet not arbitrary; it should prioritize structure without letting it replace actual qualifications. He elaborated that "open" means not being confined to one sector, locality, or relationship group, but proactively identifying cadres from the grassroots, challenging areas, or new fields. "Dynamic" implies additions, removals, promotions, and demotions based on genuine assessments.

Cadres who perform well will continue to receive training, assignments, and opportunities. Conversely, those whose prestige declines, who no longer show promise, or who violate standards must be removed from planning fairly, transparently, and in accordance with regulations.

General Secretary and President To Lam noted that the country faces many new opportunities and challenges in institutional improvement, scientific and technological development, digital transformation, international integration, and responding to non-traditional security threats. Therefore, cadre planning must continue to be strongly innovated to meet the demands of rapid and sustainable development.

He also outlined the standards for strategic cadres in the new era, which include a firm political stance, ethics and integrity, strategic thinking, implementation capacity, the courage to think, act, and take responsibility for the common good, digital literacy, the ability to effectively utilize personnel, and a spirit of lifelong learning.

The Central Organization Commission is tasked with conducting in-depth research and summarizing past strategic cadre planning efforts. It is also to advise on breakthrough mechanisms for assessing, selecting, planning, rotating, and utilizing cadres. Assessments should increasingly rely on measurable outcomes and genuine prestige.

Delegates attending the meeting with cadres whose planning falls under Politburo management, on the afternoon of 23/6. Photo: Communist Party Information Portal

The General Secretary and President also called for the completion of a comprehensive set of criteria and methods for assessing strategic cadres, advocating a strong shift from primarily administrative file management to data-driven management. Each cadre in the planning process should have a "dynamic profile" reflecting their work history, task performance results, level of trustworthiness, potential risks, and development prospects.

Regarding training and development, To Lam emphasized that each cadre in the planning process must have a specific development plan. Those lacking practical experience should be assigned challenging tasks and difficult areas. Specialists strong in their field but with limited managerial skills should be given organizational and implementation responsibilities. Cadres showing signs of stagnation, evasion, or reluctance to confront issues must be reminded and further challenged; if they still lack sufficient qualities, capabilities, prestige, and potential, they must be resolutely removed from the planning.

He called on party committees and cadre management agencies to increase interactions, listen to the legitimate aspirations of cadres in the planning process, promote multi-dimensional appraisals, tighten power control, and link cadre utilization with protection and screening.

The overarching principle is to prevent unqualified individuals from entering the system while ensuring that truly virtuous and talented people are not overlooked. Collectives and individuals recommending cadres must be held accountable for the quality of their recommendations. Actions such as concealing shortcomings, exaggerating achievements, embellishing profiles, showing favoritism, or engaging in parochialism must lead to accountability, particularly for leaders.

Cadres who are part of the planning but have not yet been nominated, elected, or appointed "need to maintain a calm, receptive attitude and continue striving." The General Secretary and President stated, "Not being assigned a position does not equate to failure and does not negate the prior process of training and contribution."

Vu Tuan