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HO CHI MINH NATIONAL ACADEMY OF POLITICS

TRUONG THI BACH YEN SOURCING commune OFFICIALS AND CIVIL SERVANTS AS ETHNIC MINORITIES AT THE
WESTERN HIGHLANDS PROVINCES AT PRESENT PERIOD
Specialty : Building the Communist Part of Vietnam
Code : 62 31 23 01 SUMMARIZED DOCTORAL DISSERTATION
IN POLITICAL SCIENCE

Reviewer 3: The Dissertation is upheld before the Academy-leveled Dissertation Examination
Council at Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics.

At : on 2014

Further information about the Dissertation available at :
National Library and Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics Library
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FOREWORDS

1. Necessity of the subject
Western Highlands is a strategic area of the whole country. The body of officials and
civil servants as ethnic minorities accounts for 30.15% of total number of grass-root officials
and civil servants, presently takes very important role in social development and stability at the
Western Highlands, especially at communes where ethnic minorities are populating.
Confronting to requirement of speeding up the course of building the new rural areas in the

* Objects of research: Sourcing commune officials and civil servants as ethnic
minorities at the Western Highlands provinces.
* Scope of research: Five provinces of the Western Highlands; period from the time
when the Cadres Strategy at the period of industrialization and modernization was launched to
now; directions and solutions as for 2020.
4. Reasoning, reality basis and method of research
4.1. Reasoning and reality basis
* Reasoning basis: The Dissertation is performed relying on reasoning basis of the
Marxism - Leninist, the Ho Chi Minh ideology and viewpoints of the Party in term of
personnel work, personnel sourcing; succession of announced results of related scientific
projects.
* Reality basis: The Dissertation is researched from reality of building the body of
cadres in general, sourcing the commune officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities at the
Western Highlands in particular, which have been presented at statistic reports and tables of the
Party organizations, governments, unions and other related agencies, and result of direct
inspection and survey.
4.2. Method of research under the Dissertation
On the methodology basis of the Marxism - Leninist; research methods of jointed and
specific sciences such as logic-history, analysis-synthesis, system, statistics-comparison,
inspection, survey, reality summing-up and specialist interview are applied comprehensively.
5. New scientific contribution of the Dissertation
- Clarifying concept, content and method for sourcing the commune officials and civil
servants as ethnic minorities at the Western Highlands provinces.
- Withdrawing experiences and problems to be addressed in sourcing the commune
officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities at the Western Highlands provinces in the last
years.
- Suggesting two specific and feasible solutions to promote the sourcing of commune
officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities as for 2020: Firstly, strengthening, developing
and assigning detail jobs for the system of ethnic boarding schools, training and education
institutions at the Western Highlands to participate in sourcing the commune officials and civil

root officials at mountainous areas to meet revolutionary requirements at the present period"
by Dr. Tran Ngoc Uan as owner. A State-leveled project (2002)-07 "Reasoning and reality
basis for assessing, seconding leaders and managers in the period of industrialization and
modernization of the country" is undertaken by Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Hoan.
Personnel sourcing is researched as a stage of the personnel work. Dr. Do Xuan Dinh
(1998) in "Sourcing in personnel planning" (Seminar "Some problems on the work of
personnel planning", Program KHXH.05), addresses two methods of sourcing: remote and
direct. A project "Personnel sourcing at remote and special difficulty-suffering areas - reality
and solutions" (KHBD (2009)-51) by MA. Tran Thi Huong and a Master Dissertation "Present
sourcing the district-leveled leaders and managers at Bac Lieu province" (2010) by Tran
Hoang Khai set up concept of source, sourcing; define contents of sourcing: finding, selecting,
assessing, planning; training, fostering, managing; arranging and employing.
1.2. Researches in relation with commune-leveled cadres, ethnic minority cadres
and sourcing ethnic minority cadres
Setting up body of commune-leveled cadres that pertains to role of the political system
is given attention by many scientists. It is available typically with books titled "Political
system at grass-root level and social life democratization at mountainous and ethnic minority
areas" by Nguyen Quoc Pham as Chief Author (National Political Publishing House, Hanoi,
2000); "Present political system at rural localities of our country" by Hoang Chi Bao (Political
Reasoning Publishing House, Hanoi, 2005); Ministry-leveled scientific project 2007 "Setting
up body of grass-root cadres under 5
th
Central Resolution (IX Session )" by Nguyen The Vinh,
etc.
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As determined by various authors, cadres as ethnic minorities are core of the personnel
work at mountainous and ethnic areas. It is available with books titled "Building the body of
cadres as ethnic minorities in our country at the period of strengthening industrialization and
modernization - Foundations and solutions" (2005) by Le Thi Phuong Thao, Nguyen Cuc,

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Affairs; "Manner of tertiary education toward ethnic minorities through form of nomination"
by Dr. Doan Gia Dung; "It is necessary to renovate method of education toward students as
ethnic minorities" by Thai Thi Bich Van.
The work of sourcing commune cadres on each locality of the Western Highlands is
reflected with articles titled "Gia Lai attach much importance to training source cadres as
ethnic minorities for grass-root level " by Tran Ngoc Chi (Party Building Magazine Online, 9-
9-2007); "Gia Lai: Recruiting graduates to work at locality - Results and experiences" by Tran
Thiet (Party Building Magazine Online, 19-9-2011); "Sourcing the commune cadres at Lam
Ha" by Viet Trong (Lam Dong Online, 26-12-2010); "Seven years of realizing Decision
No.253/QD-TTg: "Commune cadres are 'rejuvenating' and 'standardizing' step by step" by
Duc Hung (Lam Dong Online, 11-04-2012); "Results and experiences in realization of ethnic
work on Dak Nong" by Tran Thanh Long (btd.daknong.gov.vn dated 15-11-2012); "Kon Plong
district Party Committee training preparatory source cadres for grass-root level" by Huynh
Trung Kim ((Party Building Magazine Online, 1-9-2006); "The work of national education
improved qualitatively" and "Place of sourcing ethnic minority cadres" (Website of Dak Lak
Department of Education and Training); "Dak Lak strengthen Party's leadership at rural areas,
villages and population groups" by Nguyen Phu Lap (Party Building Magazine Online, 7-8-
2012), etc. These are actual researches pertaining to each specific locality. It is responsible for
reviewing to general reasoning on sourcing officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities.
2. FOREIGN RESEARCH PROJECTS
2.1. Human resource (HR), HR quality and development are paid attention by
Japanese authors like Mitokaza Aoki ("Japan-styled management principle" book, National
Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1993), Matsushita Konouke ("Personnel - key to success"
book, Transport Publishing House, 1999); Yasuhiko Inoue ("Japan's experience on human
resource development (HRD)" article, ) and so on.
2.2. Setting up body of officials and civil servants
Laotian authors of articles titled "Present province-leveled personnel work in Lao
People's Democratic Republic" by Unkeo Sipasot (Party Building Magazine Online, 24-8-

1.1.1. Communes and ethnic minorities at the Western Highlands provinces
1.1.1.1. Overview on the Western Highlands
The Western Highlands cover Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong and Lam Dong
provinces, lying on the West Central region, where are populated with 5.2 million compatriots
of 47 ethnic groups, of whom ethnic minorities account for 37.84%. The Western Highlands is
rick of potential but also latent of instability, which is attributed either to inherent difficulties
and complexity of a mountainous and border area with high rate of poor households, or that it
is a strategic important area to which hostile forces are watching. Political instability from
2001 to now is resulted from communes where ethnic minorities populate. Instability
prevention and sustainable economic and social development for the Western Highlands can
only be performed when the political systems at communes are strengthened with the powerful
body of officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities serving as hard core.
1.1.1.2. Political systems at communes of the Western Highlands
The political systems at communes of the Western Highlands comprise of legally
recognized organizations such as Party Committee, government, Vietnamese Fatherland Front
and other political and social organizations (Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth's Union,
Vietnamese Women's Union, Vietnamese Farmers' Union and Vietnamese Veterans'
Association). The political systems at communes of the Western Highlands have been
established since 1975 and are now stable in term of organization. Its structure and titles of
officials and civil servants have been set up on the basis of general stipulation, but applied
correspondingly with each commune. Operation quality of the political systems is not even,
suitable with qualification of officials and civil servants as well as complexity of each area.
Infrastructure, means of working, policy and regime for officials and civil servants have not
met necessary demands of living and working.

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1.1.1.3. Ethnic minorities at the Western Highlands
* Features of ethnic minorities at the Western Highlands in relation with sourcing the
commune officials and civil servants: Ethnic minorities are varied historically in complexity,

committees at the Western Highlands such as Chief of Public Security, Military Commander,
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Office - Statistics; Land office - Agriculture - Construction and Environment, Financing -
Accounting; Justice - Registry; Culture - Society.
* Features of officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities at the Western Highlands
They are rather significant, somewhere their structure is corresponding to composition
and quantity of ethnic minorities on the locality; qualification and competence are gradually
improved in an effort to meet criteria requirements for officials and civil servants at
mountainous area as required, but they also show inadequateness toward requirements of new
political tasks; they are clearly characterized with traditional psychology and culture,
pertaining to and reputed with the community, but still impacted with backward and negative
habits during the course of performance; working at such area is complicated and suffered from
pressure from various sides (life condition; hostile forces; national habits; social disputes, etc.),
thus mistake is potentially high.
* Role of the body of officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities at the Western
Highlands:
Commune officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities are those who contribute to
and directly organize for people, specially ethnic minorities to realize guidelines and policies of
the Party and the State at commune level; commune officials and civil servants as ethnic
minorities are those who affect importantly and positively on such ethnic minorities; officials
and civil servants as ethnic minorities create balance and harmony in term of performance
quality of the local political system.
1.1.2.2. Source of commune officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities at the
Western Highlands
* Concept: Source of commune officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities at the
Western Highlands are the body of ethnic minorities who are detected, recruited, improved and
prepared being ready for election, employment and appointment to titles of officials and civil
servants at the Western Highlands.
* Classification of source of commune officials and civil servants: Near source (direct

Highlands, who are qualified for election, employment and appointment to commune officials
and civil servants.
* Requirements of sourcing is to perform actively with scientific and careful plan, for
short-term and long-term object; to direct to various groups of candidates, basing on functions
and tasks of the apparatus to determine candidates to be sourced; it must be assured
dynamically and publically when sourcing; with "in-coming" and "out-coming" when
planning; quantity, mechanism and appropriate standard of sourcing are targeted; guidelines
and policies for souring must be public, transparent and clearly oriented.
* Subjects and forces involving in sourcing commune officials and civil servants
- Subjects of sourcing: Sourcing the commune officials and civil servants as ethnic
minorities is responsibility of the Party, from central level to grass-root one, but directly of
Province Party Committee, District Party Committee and Commune Party Committee at the
Western Highlands.
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- Forces involving in sourcing: State agencies at central level and Western Highlands
provinces; official training institutions of the Party, the State, unions, sectors and fields;
Vietnamese Fatherland Front, political and social organizations and other social associations.
* Objects to be sourced as officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities
- Far objects: Pupils, student, young laborers, youths demobilized from armed force,
members of public unions; irresponsible cadres at communes, hamlets and villages.
- Near objects: Officials and civil servants, irresponsible cadres at communes, hamlets
and villages; teachers at secondary education, officers, non-commissioned officers of military,
young and prospective officials and civil servants who are working at district level.
1.2.2. Contents and methods for sourcing the commune officials and civil servants
as ethnic minorities at the Western Highlands
Including: Setting up standard and mechanism for souring the commune officials and
civil servants as ethnic minorities at the Western Highlands; education and training
development, intellectual standard improvement, nurturing talents at ethnic minorities for the
far source and strengthening training and knowledge improvement for the near source; through

and irresponsible cadres. Some of them have high qualification and good conduct, who are
teachers of secondary education and preparatory officials as ethnic minorities, employed in
accordance with the local plan of sourcing officials and civil servants. Mostly the far source
comprises of pupils, students, demobilized soldiers, members of political and social unions and
laborers who are living at the Western Highlands. Many near sources gather factors of political
quality, conduct, lifestyle and repute in the public, especially tended to development;
competence in all kinds are improved gradually, even beyond standard in some places.
2.1.2. Restrictions: Mechanism and proportion of the source of officials and civil
servants are not correlative as compared to the national mechanism and population proportion.
Number of the far source is instable. Source officials and civil servants who are working at
hamlets and villages are restricted in term of qualification and skills, with less potential for
development. Some source cadres who have been trained in regular form can not meet
requirements of works. Source cadres who have not been trained professionally and source
officials who have not been trained in political reasoning account for high proportion.
2.2. PRESENT REALITY OF SOURCING THE COMMUNE OFFICIALS AND CIVIL
SERVANTS AS ETHNIC MINORITIES AT THE WESTERN HIGHLANDS
2.2.1. Strong points: Detailing standards and mechanism for sourcing the commune
officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities have been implemented step by step. The
career of education, training, intellectual standard improvement and talent nurture at the ethnic
minorities have been invested, maintained and developed; training and improving knowledge
in all fields for the source of officials and civil servants have been implemented positively,
created significant contributions to standardize the near source, made it based for standardizing
the far source. Via the public movements, many active objects are found, fostered and admitted
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to the Party. Attracting the source of ethnic minorities to organizations; mobilizing, seconding
and arranging placement to titles of officials and civil servants and irresponsible cadres,
preparatory officials have been gradually in good order. Planning the source of officials and
civil servants for party executive committee and key titles in the political systems at communes
has been performed seriously with right method. Some policies for sourcing support have

some aspects. Mechanism and policy have not met requirements for promoting in sourcing the
commune officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities at remote and difficulty-suffering
areas. Activeness and self-awareness of major objects to be sourced are not high.
2.2.3.2. Present experience in sourcing the commune officials and civil servants as
ethnic minorities at the Western Highlands
- It should have right and sufficient awareness on sourcing the commune officials and
civil servants as ethnic minorities at the Western Highlands to make it based for realizing
sourcing pertained to actual situation and for bringing into play role of participatory forces.
- Party executive committees and government have serious determination in building
guidelines, conducting, operating, managing and smoothly collaborating with forces who are
sourcing.
- Resources from the State and the society are used effectively for sourcing the
commune officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities.
- Specific content of sourcing is frequently supervised and checked; reviews for
experience and timely adjustment are seriously performed for the target of sourcing.
2.3.3.2. Present problems to be addressed
Firstly, criteria regulations on qualifications of commune officials and civil servants at
mountainous areas are not suitable with intellectual standards and requirements of political
tasks at the Western Highlands. Secondly, long-term and scattered support for the ethnic
minorities from the Party and the State is creating psychology of relying among some parts of
ethnic minorities in the Western Highlands. Thirdly, it is lack of adequate support for replacing
commune officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities restricted in qualification and
competence with qualified source ones. Fourthly, the local source of commune officials and
civil servants as ethnic minorities is limited in qualification, meanwhile external source is
qualified but do not keep peace in mind for long-term working at communes.
servants as ethnic minorities at the Western Highlands to meet requirements of qualification
improvement of the grass-root political systems. Promoting roles and responsibilities of the
political systems, social institutions and forces for the work of sourcing. Innovating the methods of
sourcing. Regularly reviewing for withdrawing experiences so that the sourcing is in right
guidelines and policies of the Party and suitable with reality of the ethnic minority and
mountainous area of the Western Highlands.
3.1.2.2. Targets: Through sourcing, the qualification of commune officials and civil
servants is improved. The number of officials and civil servants becomes plentiful, the
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structure diversified. The sources are stable to assure for executive committees, authorities,
unions to actively elect, appoint and recruit officials and civil servants when necessary.
1.1.2.3. Orienting opinions to stimulate sourcing the commune officials and civil
servants as ethnic minorities at the Western Highlands
Firstly, commune officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities are decisive factors for
failure or success of the socio-economic development at the Western Highlands, key elements
in building the Party at areas where ethnic minorities are populating. Secondly, sourcing the
commune officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities must start from the strategy of socio-
economic development, national defence and security maintenance at the Western Highlands.
Thirdly, sourcing the commune officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities must base on
economic, political, cultural characteristics at the Western Highlands, features of ethnic
minorities at the Western Highlands; promoting solidarity block of ethnic groups; treating well
talents, not discrimination in races, religions, internal or external sources. Fourthly, integrating
the sourcing of commune officials, civil servants as ethnic minorities into building the fair and
powerful political system at commune. Fifthly, through real activities and revolutionary
movements of ethnic minority people, enhancing intellectual standard, developing qualified
human resources to recruit, educate, improve and train sources. Sixthly, executive committees
unify to lead sourcing and manage sources according to the principle of democratic
concentration, promotion of responsibilities of organizations and their heads in the political
systems at all levels.

source, pertaining responsibilities of the secondment sources in self-training with taking part in
training source officials and civil servants at destination.
3.2.2.4. Innovating supporting policies of sourcing the commune officials and civil
servants as ethnic minorities in the direction of further support only, but no total subsidy;
supporting candidates who are really capable for development; supporting when necessary for
decisive steps. Supporting agencies and units who directly participate in sourcing. Evaluating
effectiveness of the sourcing policy, finding out problems to be solved.
3.2.3. Enhancing, developing, assigning concrete responsibilities to the system of
ethnic boarding schools and education and training institutions at the Western Highlands
to participate in sourcing the commune officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities.
To source far and stably officials and civil servants as ethnic minority, it should invest
material facilities, innovate management methods, content of training program for ethnic
minority schools. Regularly improving, training and enhancing competence for officials and
teachers. Enhancing supports at class and management of officials and teachers. Enhancing
input quality of ethnic minority pupils. Innovating content of sourcing the officials and civil
servants as ethnic minorities in the political training system at district level, political schools at
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province level, professional schools of ministries, industries. Paying attention to skills of
leadership and operation at organizations in the political system; skills of propagandizing,
mobilizing the public; dealing with political situations. Narrowing or enlarging some contents
of sourcing the commune civil servants appropriately with task requirements. Developing well
continuation education, combining standardization of education level with one of political -
administrative arguments in the same training period to speed up standard training for some
officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities.
3.2.4. Building, enhancing and promoting roles of the political systems at
communes, reputed people in the ethnic minorities at hamlets and villages in sourcing the
commune officials and civil servant as ethnic minorities
Building commune party committees, commune-affiliated party cells to be fair and
powerful. Building commune government that is truly of people, because of people and for

Western Highland political system. Party committees at levels complete institutional system
for sourcing; build up professional advisor forces; enhance supervision, inspection, direction in
time of building and implementing of guidelines, projects, plans for sourcing the commune
officials and civil servants in levels; regularly evaluate, learn from experiences.
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CONCLUSIONS
1. The Western Highlands is an area with strategic and important geographical - political
location, containing lots of development potentials, and also an area with many difficulties and
instabilities. The Western Highlands need a strong political system, especially at communes
where ethnic minorities are living. Commune officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities at
the Western Highlands play an important role for the commune political system. To make the
body qualified, sourcing should be given with attention and done well.
2. Sourcing the commune officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities at the Western
Highlands is a task in the personnel work at grass-root level of local executive committees and
party committees, a process including works from build up standard, source structure to
detection, selection, training, improvement, planning, alternation, distribution and usage of
sources for political system to source the body of ethnic minorities at the Western Highlands,
who are qualified for being elected, recruited, appointed to commune officials and civil
servants.
3. In recent time, sourcing the commune officials and civil servants as ethnic minorities
has not only progress and strong points, but also restrictions and problems. The important
reason is closely related to responsibilities of executive committees, governments and
coordination of forces in sourcing.
4. To successfully implement sourcing the commune officials and civil servants as ethnic
minorities at the Western Highlands, systematic and specific solutions should be performed. Of
which, it is especially focussed on reinforcing, developing and assigning specific
responsibilities to the ethnic boarding-schools system, education and training institutions at the
Western Highlands to participate in sourcing; building up, reinforcing, promoting roles of the
political systems at communes, reputed people in ethnic minorities at hamlets and villages.