PM Phuc’s direction came when he chaired the meeting of the council, held on July 15 in the Government’s Office, to summarise the implementation of tasks in the first six months of this year as well as pointing out the plan to carry out the core tasks in the last six months of this year.

PM Phuc said the situation of the first six months of this year was very special. We needed a comprehensive assessment to see the efforts of the entire political system in the patriotic emulation movement during that time.

Some major issues, such as the impact of COVID-19 worldwide and on Viet Nam; the political tensions in the region and the world; and the extreme weather phenomenon, should be presented in the council’s report while Viet Nam was the Chair of ASEAN for 2020 and non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for 2020-21, he said.

People had strongly responded to the call of patriotic emulation movement by the Party, the Government and the Fatherland Front, especially during the pandemic, he said.

“It is called patriotism,” he said.

Therefore, the most important thing that should be highlighted in the report was the belief of the people in the Party and the State, he added.

The PM also stressed that the council had made timely, positive and proactive actions in the work of emulation and reward, including preparations for the National Emulation and Reward Conference.

Many ministries, sectors and localities have already launched practical and creative movements, focusing on disseminating good and outstanding examples, he said.

However, shortcomings were still found in the emulation and reward activities, he said. He then told the council to issue measures to prevent “achievement disease” in the emulation and reward activities in the future.

PM Phuc required the council to launch more activities, movements and programmes to support economic development, creating more jobs and ensure social security in the future while the pandemic triggered a global health crisis and a global economic crisis that led to unemployment and famine everywhere.

“We must not neglect, must not allow the pandemic to attack again,” he added.

To do that, it required a huge effort of the entire political system, he said.

Officials in charge of emulation and reward should pay more attention to each locality’s implementation of the emulation movement in the country, he said.

Also at the meeting, the PM agreed with the proposal of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Central Committee on launching a number of movements such as saving and mobilising resources for economic development and overcoming difficulties.

Reporting the achievements in the first six months of this year at the meeting, Minister of Home Affairs Le Vinh Tan said from the beginning, the Government had ordered forces of health, military, police and relevant agencies to take cohesive measures with the slogan “Fighting the epidemic is like fighting the enemy”.

The cohesive measures had showed effectiveness so far, he said.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Central Committee Tran Thanh Man together launched a programme “Every citizen supports the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” with the donation worth VND2 trillion (US$86.4 million) so far.

The movement of “The whole country helps the poor, leaving no one behind,” was enthusiastically supported by citizens nationwide, he said./.