“No Party’s leadership over economic affairs” – a wrongful viewpoint

Since it became a ruling Party and took over the leadership of the state and the society, our Party has never neglected its leadership over economic affairs. In fact, thanks to attaching great importance to ensuring soundness and consistency in its leadership over economic affairs, our Party has successfully guided important tasks of economic development at strategic and macro level, making breakthroughs in reform and integration, helping the country develop and acquire current status and strength.

As the only ruling Party in Vietnam, it has responsibility and jurisdiction over all issues related to the people’s life, the country’s stability and development, national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, as well as the country’s prospect, both external and internal affairs. It is a historical responsibility of the Party mandated by the nation and the people. This is institutionalized and stipulated in Article No.4 of the 2013 Constitution that the Communist Party of Vietnam is the leading force of the State and society and accountable to the people.

It is clear that the viewpoint to deny the Party’s leadership over economic affairs, saying that the Party should exercise its leadership over politics only, is completely improper. This viewpoint has confused phenomenon and essence, created a false boundary between politics and economics, leading to ambiguity about awareness of politics, limiting the Party within political field. As for economic field, particularly market economy, the Party should not engage in it as this is the field of businesses and entrepreneurs, driven by the market. They also believe that in economic field, there should not be the Party’s leadership as the State would issue laws and the Government would control and manage the economy in which its components are free to do business in accordance with the law. In this argument, from its logical aspect, many people seem to agree and could not realize that there is a hidden plot to change real phenomenon that reflect essence for false phenomenon. Those who propagate the viewpoint “no Party’s leadership over economic affairs” also base on facts, such as inflation, deflation, decline in economic growth, and rise in unemployment, corruption, and social evils to say that the Party has applied wrongful economic guideline, trying to stick to old-fashioned theory which slows down development. They said that the Party is experienced in and good at leadership over politics, which it should promote; as for economic field, it needs modern scientific “knowledge” and talents in business, thus it should be undertaken by state managers and enterprises. It seems to be the way to overcome “stuck spot” of development. That is ticklish meaning of the wrongful viewpoint. Not being able to directly and publicly deny the Party’s leadership in the aspects of ideology and politics, hostile forces try to attack our Party indirectly, with a focus on economic issue, separating economics from politics, in order to impress the people with the Party’s weak points like Achilles’ heel and make them become ambiguous. That wrongful viewpoint is just a distortion of both theory and practice.

Theoretically, it is impossible to separate economics from politics, leadership over politics from that over economic affairs. Practically, achievements in economic innovation and development, handling crisis, curbing inflation, moving our country out of underdevelopment, improving the people’s living standards, and creating the country current status and strength have proved that our Party is completely capable, experienced and resilient enough to lead the State and all social fields. This can not be denied by anyone.

The Political Draft Report to the 12^th National Party Congress, reviewing the country’s 30-year reform, including new theories on the socialist-oriented market economy and new findings of policy and mechanism, will provide motivation leading the country’s reform, industrialization and modernization under the Party’s leadership to success and “a rich people, a strong country, democracy, equity, civilization”.