Remembering the first term as a National Assembly delegate

Binh Duong Province (old), where I had the honor to run for and be elected as a National Assembly member for the first term (Term X), left behind many precious memories. I always felt that I was a citizen of the extremely hospitable and revolutionary-tradition-rich Southeast region. Once, when meeting and interacting with people, they jokingly said: "According to the way we called you in the South in the past, you are "Representatives", so you must pay attention to "Dan De" (meaning: "people say") so that you can bring our wishes to the National Assembly!".

In 1997, the five of us, who were officials of the National Assembly Office, were nominated for the first time to run for National Assembly Deputies (NADs). The group of "new soldiers" included: Mr. Pham Thanh Son, Deputy Head of the National Assembly Office; Mr. Tran The Vuong, Director of the Legal Department; Mr. Le Quang Vu, Director of the Personnel Organization Department; Mr. Phan Trung Ly, Director of the Delegation Activities Department and I, Director of the Foreign Affairs Department. After being finalized by the Central Election Council, we were sent to localities to run for election with the provincial NA candidate delegation. At that time, although we were all in our 50s, we were still considered "young people" (except for Mr. Pham Thanh Son, the senior generation), and were sent to the southern provinces or the northern mountainous areas.

"Representatives", must pay attention to "representatives"

Joining me in running for election in Binh Duong was Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, Professor, Doctor of Science, Director of the Institute of Geophysics. There was not much time left until the official start of the election campaign, so our group of “new soldiers” needed to prepare carefully in all aspects. Ms. Thoa and I were arranged to meet with key leaders of the province with a dense work program on election-related content. The meeting and working schedule was arranged very reasonably.

The July 1997 election was held in conjunction with the Provincial People's Council election, so the entire delegation of candidates for the 10th National Assembly and the People's Council met in full according to the common program. We were fully informed about the situation in Binh Duong with a comprehensive set of documents along with a detailed administrative map to easily visualize the overall candidate area before going to the field.

Delegation of National Assembly deputies of Binh Duong province (old) at a meeting at Ba Dinh Hall

The information and propaganda program for the election in Binh Duong was organized quite thoughtfully and scientifically . According to regulations, candidates had to write an article about the action program of the delegates, the commitments when elected, published in the provincial newspaper, and answer interviews on the provincial radio and television. In 1997, Binh Duong was one of the localities in the Southeast region that pioneered quite comprehensive development, and the media infrastructure was also invested in relatively modernly. The filming session at the studio and the interview about the action program of the candidates, we were supported to prepare very meticulously and thoughtfully. The friendly and professional working style left a memorable impression on me until now.

The process of conducting the election of National Assembly and People's Council deputies in Binh Duong was carried out according to the schedule and plan from the Central Government. Information about the candidates was provided to each household, people were fully informed about the requirements and procedures of the election. Everything was conducted locally in a very public and transparent manner. We were given maximum conditions to directly contact representatives of various classes of people, voters were satisfied when meeting with the candidates. That was also the basis for voters to evaluate and choose before voting...

Once, during a meeting, people jokingly said: "According to the way we called you in the South in the past, you are "Representatives", so you have to pay attention to "Representatives" (meaning: "people say") so you can bring our wishes to the National Assembly!". Many times, after the meeting ended, people stayed behind to share their concerns and wishes related to daily life that they wanted their representatives to pay attention to, such as the price of cashew nuts, pepper, rubber, and agricultural materials... how to ensure suitability and stability for people to feel secure in production. Voters hoped that the competent authorities would open more high schools so that their children would not have to go to school far away...

We divided the tasks among the delegation, which content I would discuss with the people, which issues were within the province's scope to resolve, we would invite representatives of the province, or district leaders to come along to answer, meeting the wishes of the voters. Perhaps this close, direct and practical approach helped our TXCT sessions to always be lively, without any restrictions for the voters, the people attending were very happy.

Really care about choosing your representatives

The election campaign was carried out continuously for 15 days with 30 meetings from early morning to late afternoon. Meetings with voters from the election campaign until later periodic contacts, we directly met with representatives of different components and occupations...

When organizing the TXCT, our group often chose the location as a school, the commune People's Committee headquarters, or a company's meeting hall in the area. The time and location of the local TXCT meetings were widely announced, and people responded enthusiastically. On some days, the meeting hall was so crowded that it was full. The organizing committee hung loudspeakers in the garden, and people sat outside the hall, under the trees, watching very attentively. Anyone who had questions for the delegates was invited into the hall to speak on the podium in front of the microphone. The voters were really interested in choosing to elect their representatives. I was very impressed by the way people treated their representatives: very sincere, simple, and open...

The Binh Duong National Assembly Delegation (old) with provincial leaders at the conference summarizing the 10th term

A memorable “incident”, which happened by chance, during a break between TXCT sessions in a commune in Tan Uyen district, former Binh Duong province, Mr. Tu Duong and I went to the garden around the commune People’s Committee and saw a bomb lying near the base of a tree, surrounded by moss and rotten wood. We immediately asked the commune leaders and were told: the remaining American bomb had been there for many years, the people thought it was a “dud” bomb that did not explode, the commune also informed the District Military Command. That same evening, Mr. Tu Duong called the Provincial Military Command to send engineers to handle the bomb. Later, when I asked again, I learned that the engineering troops had moved the bomb right after receiving a reminder from the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee…

Real citizens of Binh Duong

Time flies so fast, the term of the 10th Congress has ended. In May 2002, the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee and Fatherland Front Committee of the province coordinated with the National Assembly Delegation to organize a conference to summarize the work of the end of the term. Key leaders from all communes, wards, districts and towns of Binh Duong were invited to attend. At the end of the conference, the delegates voted unanimously to propose that the 10th Congress deputies be re-elected to continue implementing their action programs, contributing to the development of the province. Ms. Thoa and I were considered by everyone as true citizens of Binh Duong, always with the most affectionate feelings.

Binh Duong province, where I had the honor to run for and be elected as a National Assembly member for the first term, left me with many precious memories. I always felt that I was a citizen of this extremely hospitable and revolutionary-tradition-rich Southeastern region. To this day, I still remember the songs about that Southern countryside:

" Returning to Binh Duong, I hear so much love in my heart.

Down the Dong Nai River we return to windy Uyen Hung

Thuan An sky is blue in the streets flooded with morning sunlight

Sweet fruits of Lai Thieu garden, anyone who passes by will never forget

You took me back to Cau Ngang in the afternoon, my heart filled with longing

Through Hiep An land on the spacious Ben Cat road

And the Be River flows gently, making the land greener with dreams.

Cool and fragrant like mother's milk to help children grow up to be good people...".

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/nho-lai-nhiem-ky-dai-bieu-quoc-hoi-dau-tien-10388231.html