Three very important areas that the CPV needs to prioritize innovation in the context that it is preparing and looking forward to the 13th National Congress are renewing thinking, reforming policies, and personnel reform, two Vietnamese political observers told the BBC on Friday.
On December 25 from Hanoi, a former member of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Dr. Pham Thi Loan commented to the BBC, in the context that the Party has officially announced that its 13th National Congress will be held from January 25 to January 2 next year:
“There is exactly one month left from now to the Congress, but in broad and deeper view, I see that although the party has done many things in the past term, from stabilizing the economy, fighting corruption and the Covid-19 pandemic, is relatively remarkable, with much more work to be done.
“First of all, I think that the party needs to reform its way of thinking about personnel, guidelines, and many other things. Regarding personnel, I see the party has been prepared, but the way of doing needs to be reformed for more democracy, more substantive and it needs to be broadened, it needs to go to the base so that more talented people can participate and those who have demonstrated their capacity need to create conditions for them to continue to work.
“I do not go into details, but in the last term, in the Four Pillars, the government’s management, especially in 2020, in my opinion against the pandemic is quite positive and effective. The legislature also did a lot of work.”
“I think about the ‘special case,’ the party must have standards and guidelines, but in my opinion, special cases must also include special capacity and other things, especially about women to be the leader of the Four Pillars, the Politburo, the Secretariat, the Central Committee, etc., does not go into any specific case, but I see what one is recognized and one is still capable, ability, health and full consideration of criteria such as prestige, etc .. then if possible, should still vote for them.”
“Furthermore, if those women are talented, virtuous, enthusiastic, among other factors, and have been shown in the process of participating in management and leadership, then I should continue to vote for them to participate because with their health they can still participate.”
Many women participating in management and leadership in Vietnam over the past time have affirmed their roles, according to comments from Hanoi.
“This is actually true in general, but at the same time, I think it is also necessary to renew the way of thinking and working as a human resource so that in addition to being more democratic, more open, how can the old leaders give chances for younger one so that young people can participate. Old people can still participate but should find the right form and positions. However, I still emphasize that it would be better to give way and create conditions for their youth to participate.
“But I see that the most important and decisive thing is awareness, thinking and then the general party line, if the party wants to open up to members, young people, next to it, is a whole process from the commune, district and provincial levels, it is necessary to foster the substance to gradually go up, and if there is nothing too special, then according to the public principles and regulations, it should arrange and plant personnel.”
“In the country and society of Vietnam there are many talented people, the problem is how to create conditions for them to participate in the management, leadership, and support for the development of the country is important and this wants to achieve, to really be more democratic and remember that society has changed, expanded, should not be distinguished anymore. In many other countries, people do not discriminate but they choose talented people to important positions.”
“If the party is using too many criteria for selecting senior positions, young and talented people may have no chance of being elected.”
“Another problem is reforming the way, particularly in the fields of economics and macro-management and institutions, I see the party also needs to innovate, really the party is also planning to change about However, there are still things that have not been reformed in time because I take the example immediately as the issue of social insurance, there is still a distinction between the private and the state, in addition, there are some other issues in practice that are still not fully aware of the importance of the private sector, the private economy, so in this area, I suggest that a change is needed to expand further, have a realistic, and with more substantial vision.
“In short, I think that in terms of innovation, the party has been interested, but the party needs to have more practical and clearer, especially in the ownership mechanism, this is the field. There is still a distinction between the state and the private sector, and it is still not seeing the correct and objective role and nature of this sector, the private economic sector, so some policies and guidelines in my view are not appropriate,” Loan told the BBC.
Need to get out of the “narrow thinking framework“?
From Hoi An, economist Bui Kien Thanh gave his opinion to BBC:
“Through the state-controlled media, I also know that the 13th National Congress of the CPV will be held in one week from January 25 to February 2 next year, I also hope that the party’s leadership will think seriously and thoroughly about the issue of human resources to manage the country and expand the responsibilities and powers of the country management out of the narrow framework of the party and can be extended to talented people inside and outside the party, at home as well as abroad.”
“What is it for? For everyone to join hands and be responsible for the nation’s construction. There must be a wide unity of Vietnamese talents as well as of all classes of people to make the country rise, that is what I most expect.”
“Now when it comes to what to do, I see that with those problems, there must be problems to be solved, but in terms of personnel, outside of the mind, there must be a special dimension and to solve the negative problems.”
“I would say that the state management cannot do so if we let corruption and negative happen like that, that’s what the party leaders have to deal with internally so that it is really clean, cannot manage the state but live with such negativity, corruption, and that is also a great desire.”
“Now I want to talk about the issue of reforming mechanisms, management policies, leadership, in order to facilitate the country’s healthy development, it is necessary to remove the old wrong thinking of State management issues which have long been under the mechanism of centralized economic management.”
“Here, it is necessary to completely renew that mindset to step through open policies and create conditions and mechanisms for the thriving private economy. Why do I emphasize that, because the economy is the work of the people, It is not the responsibility of the state to do business.”
The state should create more conditions to help the economy and private economic development, according to economists.
“What must the state be like? The state instead of working in the economy, but in times of competition, restriction, and restraint with the private economy, the state must understand that its responsibility and function is to create conditions, mechanisms, all favorable conditions for the private economy, business development, that is the job of state management and must be emphasized and clarified. There is two main topics that I see Congress 13 has to deal with.”
“By the way, I add that the system is to create all conditions for the people to develop, so all problems that hinder the people, the private business and the economic development must be quickly eliminated, so that the Vietnamese economy would quickly become a real market economy, not as it is called nowadays, but operating really freely.”
“Therefore, it is imperative to immediately strip away what is currently hindering, including policies that interfere with the private sector, the private economy, private ownership of land, etc. .., not just saying how many policies are there for the party and the state, with how many obstacles… but in reality, there are still locks, obstructions, even unnecessary restraint.”
“There should be no such things, an open economy really has to be open, not the kind of state management that keeps dripping, the times the little tap opening, and then continue to give. The party and the state have to change their mindset to make the river water flow, without blocking the river.”
“The responsibility of the state is to open up completely and for people to have free activities in the economy, it is natural to have more open management, openness, more transparency, but at the same time helping to dissolve the negative issues, corruption, and others. The party must review the role of those sectors for objectivity and recognition, as well as economic reform, private ownership of land, etc. other innovation in thinking and action,” economist Bui Kien Thanh told BBC.
“Quickly prepare for the Party Congress”
There is exactly one more month as expected to open the 13th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (January 25 to February 2, 2021).
On Thursday, December 24, 2020, the Vietnamese Communist Party’s website about the Party’s 13th Congress reported on the preparations for the congress and said:
“At the 14th Plenum of the Party Central Committee meeting from December 14, 2020, to December 18, 2020, the Central Committee decided to convene the 13th National Congress of the Party in Hanoi from Jan 25”
“The preparation of the draft documents submitted to this Congress has been carried out very meticulously, methodically, thoughtfully, through many times, many rounds, step by step perfection, with many innovations and progress in comparison with previous congresses.”
“The preparation of personnel was conducted carefully, methodically, and carefully. From the end of December 2018 to September 2020, the Politburo four times approved the planning staff of the Central Committee for the next term with a total of 227 people.”
“The Personnel Subcommittee and the Politburo have urgently studied and reviewed the work of preparing personnel from the Politburo, the Secretariat of some recent tenures (on standards, conditions, age, and quantity structure, how to do it) and learn from experience.”
“At the 14th Plenum, the Central Committee discussed democracy, carefully, and voted with a very high consensus among the staff participating in the Politburo, the Secretariat next tenure, including the re-election of some members of the current Politburo and Secretariat and the individuals participating in the two agencies for the first time.”
“Also during this time, the Subcommittee for the Congress is also urgently preparing the work of ensuring security and order, medical plans for the 13th Congress; inviting the press to attend the Congress and a content related to the preparation of the congress,” said the website about the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
Source: https://www.bbc.com/vietnamese/vietnam-55447105
