In Vietnam, the “Game of Thrones” is being carried out by senior officials of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam (CV) headed by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to the 13th Party Congress.
Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama about the struggle to succeed the “Throne,” which faithfully depicts a medieval setting, which has attracted a a record of viewers on television and has attracted international attention.
Game of Thrones, with bloody, sexual, violent, and political power tricks, is a movie that is probably popular with many politicians.
The thirst for power is always great, culminating in “kingship.” Appropriation, competition, transfer, etc. are games with intriguing tactics and tricks in different institutions, and always attract the attention of many people because of their original instincts.
The totalitarian communist party system has different characteristics in the process of human development. Armed with Marxist – Leninist ideology, this regime was born by the proletariat revolution and the establishment of a centrally planned economy. After more than 70 years of existence, this regime collapsed in the early 1990s.
The transition is in two directions, both moving to a market economy, but different in politics. For Eastern European countries and the former Soviet Union, Western-style democracy gradually replaced. China, Vietnam and few other countries are maintaining the Communist Party regime leading the implementation of reforms and economic integration with certain economic achievements.
However, due to conflicts of socialist ideology and market principles, the instability of the regime has become more and more serious. Manifestations before the Communist Party congresses, and in Vietnam, according to observers, culminated at the 12th National Congress.
Can the CPV maintain its leadership and how will the market economy change? How can the regime be sustainable if the people stand outside the game of kingship? Those are questions that are posed in the “afternoon market” of communism in the world.
Now, before the 13th Congress, the “game of kingship” will be a fight for four highest positions after a period of instability. Attention to specific senior personnel is in particular the demand of the masses, but whether the regime’s sustainability is guaranteed is something to keep in mind in the reform.
The instability of the power positions in the game of kingship is at the highest peak ever and the one who understands the most is Mr. Trong.
Every change of high-level personnel, especially at the Politburo, is now concerned. Moreover, the lack of transparency in party rule, closed by its own rules, often stimulates people’s ‘curiosity’.
The CPV’s Politburo on Jan 9, 2020 warned its member Hoang Trung Hai, the former secretary of Hanoi Committee who was transferred to the position of a deputy head of the Standing Committee for Documentation for the 13th Congress. Hai’s former position was filled by Vuong Dinh Hue, who was a deputy prime minister.
The process of instability occurred simultaneously with the transition to a market economy when the contradiction of socialist ideology and market principles became increasingly fierce …
And the unstable “peak” was said to have taken place during the term prior to the 12th congress, when the majority of the 11th Central Committee did not agree with a number of Politburo’s decisions, such as adding two positions- the head of the Central Committee’s Internal Affairs Department and the Central Economic Committee into the Politburo in 2013 and not disciplining then incumbent prime minister- “comrade X” in 2014.
Although the 12th Congress in 2016 was tense, the “bottleneck” was removed, when the consensus and “balance” were reached with 180 Central Committee members, 19 Politburo members, and Mr. Trong was elected to continue the second term as the General Secretary.
Consolidating ‘kingship’ is only a temporary solution to rescue the insidious unrest contained within these regal authorities in Ba Dinh
In the former Soviet Union, after Joseph Stalin had been in power for more than 31 years, Leonid Breznev (1906-1982) served as general secretary for 18 years, from 1994 to 1982, in China Mao Zedong (1893 – 1976) served as Party Chairman with supreme power for 33 years, from 1943 to 1976 and in Vietnam Le Duan (1907-1986) is the CPV’s leader with the longest time in office- nearly 26 years.
However, when transitioning to a market economy, the totalitarian regime encounters the king’s problem, especially the transfer from one generation of pioneers to the next. That is the power of the successor leader. How can you choose the “king of intelligence” to maintain the “kingdom” ? Is there any mechanism to ensure that he will help re-create “heroic characters” from generation to generation, this is a difficult question for the Party.
The CPV also enforces a number of rules such as leadership on a collective basis, limits on working terms and age, making choices based on quality and competence, and attaching importance to practical challenges through positions and works. However, the development of complex relations of crony capitalist society, the collusion between officials and businesses to usurp public resources and assets, the “red princeling” phenomena, cronism, political patrons, interest groups, profit-taking, and corruption, etc. have broken these regulations.
Therefore, strengthening the anti-corruption campaign and strengthening the party organization is the option to focus the power of the Politburo, the Secretariat and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong himself. In 2017, he also became President after Mr. Tran Dai Quang died.
Avoiding the risk of regime’s collapse, consolidating the “kingship” is a rescue. But the anti-corruption results and personnel arrangement show that General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong is the master of the “situation.” In addition, the economic achievements since the beginning of the 12th term, are supporting the party, thus strengthening Mr. Trong’s efforts.
Due to age restrictions, term of office and health General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong probably considers the transfer of “kingship” as a focus.
In addition to mobilizing and arranging personnel to prepare for the meeting, many regulations on nominations, candidates, commendation, discipline, setting the example of senior leaders … were also issued.
Setting standards in line with personnel plans can change, but cannot be challenging. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is at the “upper hand” in the principle of collective leadership to reach consensus according to “planning.”
When the common goal is the communist ideal, any ethical standard or code is secondary. And usually, the supreme leader is the only person who has the right to set goals for the members of the organization. One of the most important requirements for cadres is absolute loyalty to the party, and ideals.
However, in terms of economic transition to the market, the ideological leadership selection criteria may conflict with the management capacity and adapt to the changing reality. In other words, the conflict between the ruling party and the technocrat weakens the executive efficiency of the public authority.
All of these factors challenge the honesty of party members.
Should be anti-corruption and centralized and consolidated in the context of institutional reform, in which power in every position, including the “monarchy,” also needs a control mechanism.
The more centralized power is, the party members and officials are only a means to serve the lofty idealistic goals and revolutionary ethical values, the characteristics of the authoritarian regime’s values will appear. It is the accountability and accountability system that lacks democracy in the organization, and more than that before the people.
The Party is not directly elected by the people, so accountability and responsibility are mainly implemented in the organization from the lower level to the higher level. If a party member has a ‘defect’, and the party wants to punish him, he is forced to account for, and takes responsibility for, the extent of the violation.
In addition, accountability is more ethical than legal. The government cannot “handle” without the party’s “opinion.”
Excessive propaganda for “e-government,” “artificial intelligence,” Internet and various forms of modern communication technology can eradicate the authoritatian regime’s bureaucracy.
The problem, however, lies in whether the party and the government are able to meet the wishes and feelings of the masses as well as respect their ideas on how to govern society.
The “game of kingship” affects the life of the country and the people, so their involvement is needed.
Market economy brings more rights to people, including economic rights. And the more independent of the party and the state, the more they claim the right to participate in politics.
Therefore, accountability to the masses need to be institutionalized through elections so that leaders always be supervised by the people. If leaders do not work properly, they will not be elected by the people.
In Vietnam, when the CPV used tricks to marginalize nearly 100 million Vietnamese people to monopolize the rule, the consequences will be catastrophic, leading to further lagging and social chaos.
What the most needed now, is the courage of every Vietnamese citizen, they need to speak up in every suitable way so that the CPV must recognize the mistake, when it has brought foreign doctrine to the homeland.
Hoang Lan from Ha Noi – Thoibao.de (Translated)
