The 13th CPV’s National Congress is scheduled to be convened in early 2021 with expectations of possible leadership changes and on the basis of new movements of leaders who will run the country.
Some domestic observers of Vietnam’s politics on September 17 shared with BBC News Vietnamese comments and their observations on where may be the most significant challenge waiting for the leaders. The new senior party, state, government and parliament, regardless of who will be elected.
“In my opinion, there will be two main challenges. One is the development of the country and the other is about the threat of foreign invasion, which I feel is not currently resolved,” said writer Nguyen Nguyen Binh, former Lieutenant Colonel the Vietnam People’s Army.
“Right now, corruption of public officials is systemic, large economic losses of the state, the state sector still suffers huge losses. Although they have been brought out to be ‘in the furnace,’ those who replace them have no mechanism not to fall in, not to follow that path, which is a related challenge to national development and governance.”
“As for the dangers of foreign aggression, no one has been able to say anything clearly. The one fortunate situation now is the policy of President Trump and the US, defense, security, foreign affairs, the East Sea (South China Sea) and the Indo-Pacific region, off the coast, are quite strong and assertive, making China, the neighbor country always threatening and intimidating Vietnam, and threatening the sovereignty and rights of Vietnam’s sea and islands, be wary.”
“Without US forces and the Trump administration’s policies like that in the region, it is not clear what kind of violence China could have done. So far, anyone from the Vietnamese top leadership says nothing clearly.”
“Assuming that it is a secret that needs to be kept about diplomacy or defense, the military, then the perception of people is that they do nothing, say nothing, while foreign leaders are willing to speak up frankly, openly and with a very clear attitude when someone threatens their country.”
At an online discussion on September 17 by BBC News Vietnamese, the guests also gave their views as to what they think is the main challenge of the new senior leadership.
“I think the biggest challenge will be to revive Vietnam’s economy after Covid-19 because we all know that after this pandemic a huge recession came. But the Communist Party of Vietnam is not directly involved in the business. Therefore, it is the party’s duty to choose a government apparatus, how to let the economy overcome difficulties,” said Associate Professor Nguyen Hoang Anh, a senior lecturer, and researcher from the University from Hanoi.
“For the people, ‘food is bigger than the sky.’ If the economy is okay, everything will be fine, but if the economy is not good, political instability will come very quickly.
Besides that challenge, but I don’t know which one is better than the other, how to continue the fight against corruption? Because the administration of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has launched an anti-corruption war which more or less seems to indicate the real need of the country.
“In the near future, if there is no longer the leader of Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong, how will we continue to execute that fighting? Because no matter what, some so-called ‘real’ acts of punishing corrupted officials convinced some people.
“It can be seen that during the past 45 years from 1975 and people feel very discouraged that no corruption case has actually been tried until a few years ago, that is also something that makes the people feel cooler and cooler, and it also makes the officials less and more afraid.”
“Even though we also know it is not a radical method against corruption and targeting certaint corrupted ones, it is also warning for other state officials.
“I also know some people in the government, they also say that at present it is really the Party Central Inspection Committee that has acted much more drastically than before, has acted to rectify the election or nominate people. to make it more effective, not just that calling each other can be solved.”
“So I think those are also two very big assignments for the next 13th National Congress.”
Can’t fight corruption the old way now?
Doctor of Science Nguyen Quang A, former Director of the Independent Policy Research Institute (IDS – has dissolved) on his part told the dissertation:
“I think the most important challenge of the Communist Party of Vietnam is that it must find itself obedient to the people, not ‘sitting on top’ of the people, which I think is the biggest challenge.”
“Because of that, the Communist Party of Vietnam, with its actions just now, has caused people to lose trust. I say for example the land issue, the Thu Thiem issue, the Dong Tam problem, the problem of corruption.
“On the issue of corruption, I think it is impossible to fight corruption like this at present, to fight corruption, the country needs an independent judiciary. Currently, the judiciary works under the party’s instruction.
“The second condition must have at least a little free press, while the regime is controlling all media.
“Therefore, if this mechanism kills a hundred or a thousand of corrupted officials, it will still produce another two thousand, three thousand corrupted ones.”
“So I think this anti-corruption campaign cannot solve the corruption problem as the Communist Party of Vietnam produces corruption.”
“As for economic development is certainly a big challenge and related to economic development, I think Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the current Prime Minister, can do it and indeed if Mr. Phuc becomes General Secretary, then probably better for this country.
“But I’m afraid they will find a lot of ways to deal with each other about this and that to fight for power.”
Must think of “belief“, dare to “innovate” thinking and thinking?
Commenting on the comments of the two above guests, right after the discussion on September 17, from Hanoi, engineer Nguyen Lan Thang, a civil society activist told BBC:
“I have heard the comments of Associate Professor Nguyen Hoang Anh as well as Doctor of Science Nguyen Quang A, I see that these are also quite good ideas and I also have the same agreement.
“I just want to comment further that the challenge of the Communist Party of Vietnam, whoever will be in the new high-level leadership group determined through the 13th Congress, will be reading and meeting the demands of the people.”
“What the party and the government are doing to fight corruption, for example, how, with whom, what is the specific purpose, what is the purpose … I think the people see clearly. In essence, it is not that one does not know anything.
“The important thing is a matter of trust. Do whatever you do, but when the masses, the people have lost their trust, the party challenges are already growing and become more serious.
“Personally, I think the fact that the ruling party has monopolized its leadership position in the country, it will definitely come to a time to recalculate and change, if they don’t want a bad ending.”
“Because according to the law of the advancement of human civilization, of democracy, there is no one, no party or any powerful force, especially if the electoral and constitutional processes have not been passed real democracy, human rights, civil rights and the rule of law, can sit in such a position of supreme leadership and rule like that or want to last forever.
“In short, in my opinion, it is a challenge of thinking renewal and daring to execute thought, innovative thinking about leadership power, ruling according to the trends and standards of human civilization today.”
Thoibao.de (Translated)
Source: https://www.bbc.com/vietnamese/vietnam-54209195
