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The evolution of democracy in Vietnam after 30 years of the Renewal (Part I)
The evolution of democracy in Vietnam after 30 years of the Renewal (Part I)
8/10/16
Democracy possesses many commonly
held values of humankind, however the development process of democracy differs
from country to country, exhibiting particular characteristics shaped by specific
historical circumstances, according to a Vietnamese social scientist. Associate
Professor-PhD of Social Science Nguyen An Ninh writes that in Vietnam,
democracy boasts typical characteristics that made the country's regime
different from others.
Firstly, the current socialist
democratic regime in Vietnam is the first ever democratic regime in the
country's political history. The Declaration of Independence for the Democratic
Republic of Vietnam read by President Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi
on September 2, 1945 marked the very start of Vietnam 's first democratic regime.
Previously, Vietnam 's
socio-political and economic life was ruled over by feudal, semi-feudal and
colonial systems for many centuries. The prominent feature of these systems was
that the people had no right to participate in the country's political life,
let alone impose their will and aspirations upon the governing administrations'
political structures. Therefore, there were few or even no mechanisms
established for implementing democracy. A person's fate as well as his/her
rights and obligations depended on the society, the community or the crowd. At
that time, the development of socio-political life was often dependent on the
virtue, ethics and capability of one single man – the king – who had been
placed on the pinnacle of power in the absence of a people's election. And,
this situation went on for thousands of years until September 2, 1945.
Vietnam's first democratic regime
was born during the national liberation revolution and it was the fruit of the
entire people's struggle for liberation under the leadership of a communist
party. This first democratic regime brought to the Vietnamese people the most
fundamental human rights, including the right to live. We should remember that
even the right to live, which is the first and most fundamental right of
humans, had been threatened and stolen in a famine triggered by Japanese
fascists in 1945 which claimed the lives of nearly 2 million people, or one
tenth of Vietnam
's population at the time.
The new regime also gave the people
the right to be a citizen of an independent and free country, the right to
participate in the country's political life, and other rights and interests. These
rights were stringently enforced from the very first day of the new regime. The
first general election was organized successfully within several months of the
day on which the Declaration of Independence was proudly announced.
Secondly, Vietnam's first democratic
regime had its roots in a struggle to win and defend national independence for
which generations of Vietnamese people had contributed not only their
brainpower but also sacrificed their blood. This regime was not the result of a
parliamentary democratic process as happened in many countries in the world. The
reality of Vietnam's political history in the 20th century showed that only
when a country is free and independent, can its people enjoy democracy and
society become republican.
Throughout the 20th century, the
Vietnamese people undertook to defend their national independence, along with
building and developing democracy. During the course of time, generations of
Vietnamese people understood that the most important thing was national
independence and freedom. President Ho Chi Minh used to say that "nothing
is more precious than independence and freedom". That is the reason why Vietnam
has built its concepts on citizens' rights and obligations, as well as
institutional tools and mechanisms to implement democracy around this
philosophy.
In many cases, the country viewed
national independence and freedom the same as democracy and equality in the
meaning of the right to exist and develop like other nations. In that sense, Vietnam
could gain freedom and democracy only when it was in peace, unified and
independent and its people freed from slavery. Therefore, Vietnam 's
adoption of a socialist democratic regime aimed to exercise the right to exist
and develop like other nations around the world.
Thirdly, the socialist democratic
regime was the evolvement of democracy at a higher degree. Looking back to the
historical background where Vietnam began the course of building and developing
democracy, it can be seen that we must work harder and harder in order to
thoroughly capture the nature of socialist democracy.
It is inevitable when there are things that are incomplete or fail to match the ideal standards in the first democratic regime in a country where no democratic regime existed before. Therefore, it is easy to identify and explain the incomplete features of the current democracy in Vietnam. Vietnam has been undertaking the building of its socialist democratic regime in the context of a tiny, underdeveloped economy after enduring wars to defend national independence and reunification for dozens of years and dealing with several socio-economic structural upheavals.
It is inevitable when there are things that are incomplete or fail to match the ideal standards in the first democratic regime in a country where no democratic regime existed before. Therefore, it is easy to identify and explain the incomplete features of the current democracy in Vietnam. Vietnam has been undertaking the building of its socialist democratic regime in the context of a tiny, underdeveloped economy after enduring wars to defend national independence and reunification for dozens of years and dealing with several socio-economic structural upheavals.
In such circumstances it is clear
that Vietnam has not yet developed a perfect democracy, so it is making efforts
to narrow the gaps between reality and the goals it has set. However, it is
noticeable that though still under construction, the socialist democratic
regime in Vietnam has brought into full play its pre-eminent characteristics. The
regime has stood side by side with the nation in the struggle for national
independence, freedom and reunification and contributed significantly to the
socio-economic development strides Vietnam has made in its journey of renewal. The
economic and socio-political foundation of socialism that has been laid so far
has allowed Vietnam to advance toward an equitable, democratic and civilized
society and ensured the fundamental human rights for its citizens.
Obviously, problems arise in the
course of developing democracy in Vietnam. Such problems as bureaucracy,
corruption and power-driven depravity were inevitable and common, as they have
been found in almost all modern democratic regimes in the world. They also had
subjective causes that came from the process of building democracy. However,
based on a well-constructed foundation, the house of democracy, though messy
with the litter of construction work, has astonishingly bright prospects.
Fourthly, the principle of democracy
ruled only by a single governing class through its political party matches Vietnam 's
developmental process. Proceeding from the view that the core and the nature of
the development of democracy in Vietnam
was that power belongs to the people, with the first and fundamental value
being economic rights, Vietnam
has given importance to promoting economic development and ensuring advancement
and fairness in the field.
The country has also realized that
it needed to concentrate on mobilizing all available resources as well as
political will for accomplishing its big goals, such as winning independence
and freedom or spurring socio-economic development. In this case, the principle
of a single, strongly focused political party seems to be the most suitable
solution to Vietnam. In its very essence, this is a condition for deploying
democracy as it demonstrates the centralized nature of the democratic regime.
In any democratic regime, the manifestation of the centralized nature is
reflected in its adoption of a constitution and laws in order to serve its
operation.
Under the communist party's
leadership, Vietnam has given the top priority to promoting democracy in the
economic field. In the past national democratic revolution, farmers, who
accounted for 90 per cent of the population, were provided with farming land
thanks to the communist party's land reform policy. Recently, as the country
has pursued a renewal policy, the people have been given favorable conditions
to exercise their right to do business in a multi-sectoral economy operating
under socialist-oriented market mechanisms.
Thanks to these efforts, Vietnam has
weathered the critical economic crisis in late 1980s. Not only with that, the
country's production has grown robustly and the people's living conditions have
improved remarkably. Achieving an economic growth along with ensuring social
advancement and equality has become the Communist Party of Vietnam's consistent
policy in spurring socio-economic development. With that policy, a series of
fundamental rights of democracy have been exercised in Vietnam. The people
have enjoyed the right to be in pursuit of prosperity and happiness and benefit
entirely from the fruits of their labour.
Society has grown in a dynamic and
positive manner toward fairness, democracy and civilization. It has accepted
social differences as long as these differences have not been against the
nation's common interests and cared for all members of society in terms of
developmental chances and benefits they could have.
An important thing worthy to be
noted here was that coupled with robust socio-economic growth, the renewal
process and the transformation of economic mechanisms in Vietnam has been
taking place in the context of socio-political stability – a state that not all
countries undertaking renewal and reforms have been able to enjoy. After
carefully studying these issues, it can be noted that developing democracy
based on the principle of a single party is a perfect fit with reality in
Vietnam. And neither is this method an exception in the region or the world.
In recent decades, the
newly-industrialized countries and territories, which are named as "the
Dragons of Asia", such as Singapore, Taiwan, and the Republic of Korea,
have all relied on similar political platforms to produce "magical"
gains in their socio-economic status as well as in the promotion of democracy. However,
it is obvious that there is always another side of the coin in democracy
promotion. The Communist Party of Vietnam has clearly noticed threats of
depravity and degradation inside its socialist democracy. The acts of violation
of democracy, bureaucratic bungling, corruption, and alienation from the people
have occurred and cascaded into negative impacts on the evolvement of
democracy.
In its leadership capacity, the
Communist Party of Vietnam has frankly admitted these problems and showed its resolve
to address them. Here, the people have exercised their right to mastery and
implemented democracy to contribute largely to successes in the battle against
corruption and bureaucracy, and democratic violation. The people have helped to
bring to light many cases of corruption and degradation committed by State
officials. This exposure should be regarded as a major achievement for Vietnam
in promoting democracy.
Fifthly, the process of developing democracy in Vietnam
has been embraced by the entire political system and people from all walks of
life. This characteristic is particularly unique in comparison to the
development of democracy in some other countries during their "color
revolutions" over several recent decades. In those countries, democracy
promotion has often occurred inside only a part of the political system,
reflecting mainly in the transfer of power from one political group to another
political group./. (to be continued)
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All comments [ 11 ]
There is an outstanding phenomenon that many people discuss democracy and the development of democracy in Vietnam. Besides constructive opinions, there are still a lot of misunderstandings or calculated intentions.
The cause of renewal in Vietnam includes economic reforms and step-by-step political reforms and both aspects are closely connected and mutually supported.
Democratisation in Vietnam does not have itself as a target but is aimed at stepping up industrialisation and modernisation for the goal of a rich people, a strong country, a democratic, equitable and civilised society.
Bravo Vietnam!
The development of democracy in Vietnam is the continuation of the rule, "National independence is closely associated with socialism".
The development of the socialist democracy at first originates from the demands of development and comprehensive renewal, from the process of renewal and completion of the democracy, as well as from the lesson of making people the roots of society and the democratic regime's nature "of the people, by the people, for the people" in Vietnam.
The working class's interest is identical with the whole nation's interest in the target of "A wealthy people, a strong country, and an equal, democratic and civilised society, making a great unanimity in the society".
The working class's interest is identical with the whole nation's interest in the target of "A wealthy people, a strong country, and an equal, democratic and civilised society, making a great unanimity in the society".
Democracy is the rule of formation, development and self-perfection of the socialist political system, it is both a target and a driving force to our society's renewal cause.
These realities define the current development process of the socialist democracy in Vietnam as a process moving in a positive direction.
Vietnam's development process of democracy is in accordance with the common rule and needs understanding and support from friends in the region and the world.
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