=================================
PARTY NATIONAL CONGRESS
=================================
T
he Vietnam Communist Party has begun basic preparations for its 9th National Party Congress, which is scheduled for sometime by the end of the first quarter, 2001. The draft political report intended to be delivered at the congress was released to Hanoi state-controlled media this week.In general, the draft is not much different from the many political reports presented at the last Communist Party national congresses regarding style, tone, and political cliches. However, there are some parts of the draft report that might be worth looking into.
The first thing asserted by the draft report is that "the Ninth Party Congress will reaffirm the Party's platform for national construction during the transitional period to socialism... the Party will supplement, develop and finalize its guidelines and viewpoints in order to clarify the path to socialism in Vietnam."
The draft covers 10 topics:
1. Vietnam in the 20th and 21st centuries.
2. The situation in Vietnam over the last 5 years and after 15 years of renovation.
3. On the path to socialism.
4. Economic guidelines and development strategy.
5. Cultural and social and human resource development.
6. Strengthening the national defense capability.
7. Expanding foreign relations; integrating into international economy - on our own initiative.
8. Promoting the great general unity.
9. Continuing reform and perfection of the administration, promoting democracy, reinforcing legal system.
10. Construction and rectification of the Party, enhancing the Party's leadership and fighting capacity.
Like other similar documents, the report starts with claims on the Vietnam Communist Party's achievements and successes, particularly its victories over the French and the American military power. It also praises economic development, progress in culture and society, improvement in living standards.
In short, the document claims success in social and political stability, in national defense, in party building and rectification, in foreign relations. Its emphasizes that "These achievements can only be gained thanks to the political strength and workable guidelines of the VCP."
In the phrase "integrating into the world economy" found in several places, there is a slight difference between the Vietnamese and the English versions. In Vietnamese, the phrase is "chu dong hoi nhap..."
The adverb "chu dong" literally means "on one's own initiative" particularly in the context of the report. In English versions published recently, the phrase has been translated either without the adverbial phrase "on one's (the Party's) own initiative," or with a vague adverb "actively integrating.."
It is obvious that the draft report aims at telling the public and the party members that the integration into the world economy has been initiated by the party itself. Aggressive adjectives and adverbs have been often used by the Communist propaganda documents. In this case, VCP leaders want to save face under the eyes of the Vietnamese people in Vietnam, and they know that it should not be fully translated in versions targeting foreign public.
In other parts of the draft report are reaffirmation as such: "The consistent goal is national independence and socialism on the basis of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought."
That is understandable. Ruling Vietnam in the past five decades, the VCP has relied on Marxism-Leninism to justify its political monopoly. What would be happening to the safety as well as the existence of the party and its members if it officially abandons Communism? Moreover, the draft report consolidates the justification by saying that "Strengthening the Party leadership will decide the success of renovation."
"Renovation," the motto that the VCP regime frequently sticks to and vows to implement, is mentioned with usual affirmation of the ultimate power of the party on the entire economy. The report "Once again reiterates the Vietnamese Party and people's determination to advance along the socialist path with the ideological foundation of socialism."
Or the Party and State "persistently pursue their long-term policy for the development of different economic sectors, operation upon market-oriented mechanism but under the state management with a socialist orientation."
The statements indicate that the VCP leaders will never give up all control on the country economy, but will exert every trick to impose its authority as much as possible upon the private sector and maintain the state sector to the largest possible extent. According to the report, "The state-owned sector will still remain the determining force with state-owned companies and business co-operatives forming the two most fundamental economic sectors in the country."
In another part, the report envisages that by 2020, Vietnam will become and industrial country. This statement reminds people of the late VCP Secretary General Le Duan's speech in 1976, in which he asserted that "In two or three 5-year plans, Vietnam will be a country as developed as, even more developed than Japan."
According to the report , "It is necessary to restructure the economy and labor force, and to reduce the proportion of agricultural work force by half." Currently, more than 90 percent of the population are farmers, and so far, there has been too little investment in agriculture, especially in long-term projects. How could Hanoi employ only half of the agricultural work force while maintaining the same rice production without enormous investment, which probably requires
hundreds of billions of dollars in 20 years?
The report ensures that industrialization in Vietnam can be shortened in comparison with other countries, as it "may have to leap more than one rung in that ladder at any stage along the way." The VCP leaders will not reach such objective as it is incapable of leaping any step on the development ladder when bureaucracy, corruption are rampant to the incorrigible extent, and the country is lacking in economic expertise. Leading positions in the economy are mostly awarded to party members of lowest capability but highest faithfulness to the party, whereas the best ones not so faithful are not employed in appropriate posts. In 1999, nearly 3,000 MD's graduated from medicine schools and a lot of engineers were unemployed.
The report also mentions "policies to encourage and facilitate overseas Vietnamese to invest and do business in Vietnam." In fact, thousands of Vietnamese exiles have embarked on various business ventures in Vietnam in the last few years. But most have retreated with total failures and unforgettable experiences. Now it is very difficult to convince overseas Vietnamese to do business in Vietnam.
The report admits that the transition to socialism could be difficult and takes time with the existence of economic composition, classes, and various strata of society. Basic Communist theories support "class struggle" that has been frightening the other classes since the 1953-56 Land Reform Campaign. The VCP is well aware of that, so in order to calm down people's fear, the report says that "The current relations between classes are different from those in the period of 'national democratic revolution,'" i.e. in wartime.
"Class struggle" is defined by the report in an argument incompatible with Marxist-Leninist theory. "The principal content of class struggle in this period is successfully implementing the programs of industrialization and modernization with socialist orientation, struggling to defeat all schemes and acts of sabotage by reactionary forces, to build our country into a prosperous socialist nation."
Similar preposterous arguments are noticed in many parts of the report, such as the comparison of the market-oriented economy in capitalist countries and in Vietnam.
A larger part of the long report is for optimistic estimates of a bright "socialist" future, whereas some shortcomings concerning the party and its members are acknowledged. A large number of actions are said to be taken, but how to implement them is not clear.
With a light touch on corruption and bureaucracy, the report put no emphasis on effort to get rid of social evils, which is the most serious threat to the future of the nation.
One thing to be certainly taken place from now to the time after the 9th Party Congress is the clean-up campaign that has been launched to consolidate political security. The party is running such campaigns in time of important events (party congress, military crucial situations, civil unrest's...).
Incorrigible elements, criminal suspects - mostly thieves, pickpockets - and little known political dissidents might be rounded up for detention from a week to a few 3-year terms under the decree of "administrative measure" that permits Public Security chiefs at district level and higher to send "bad elements" of the population to prison for a necessary time "to be educated."
The VCP government also ordered tight control on cultural products (newspapers, magazines, books, video and audio tapes, pictures..) that are considered "reactionary, debauched, obscene..." Tourists and business travelers, particularly people of Vietnamese origin should
be aware of unfavorable situations they might be running into.
In fact, the draft report is released to the public for general discussion of what have already been decided by the Politburo, only to show people that there is democracy in the party operation. Political reports therefore, have been made for propaganda more than any other purpose.
Meanwhile, there is no indication of a major shuffle at the top level leadership. Probably differences in economic reforms between members of the Politburo have been settled, so the current leaders would continue their roles in furthering economic reforms.
***
]]]]]