EVENTS AND COMMENTS “The Party put class interests above national interests” - a blatant and ridiculous distortion by hostile forces and opportunists

With 2017 recorded achievements, the whole nation entered into the year 2018 in eager and buoyant mood, and commemorated the founding day of Communist Party of Vietnam. Yet, as usual, hostile forces and political opportunists conspire together to oppose our Party in a blatant and ridiculous fashion. The forefront of those obsolete distortions is “the Party put class interests above national interests”.

They claim since its inception, the Party has considered superior class interests to national interests; put its interests above national interests; only focused on the consolidation of class power; and connived at “interest groups” ill-gotten gains despite the fact that people are destitute, and the nation lags behind. With that argument, their artifice is to defame the Communist Party of Vietnam (hereafter CPV), divide the blood relation between the Party and the entire peoples.

This distorted argument has been negated by the reality of Vietnamese peoples’ history since the birth of CPV. Over the course of revolutionary leadership, CPV has always associated national interests with class interests. This statement comes from a viewpoint stating that Vietnamese revolution is an integral part of international revolution. History showed that chief among our people’s aspirations between the late nineteenth century and the early 20^thcentury was to liberate our peoples from colonialists and feudalists’ oppression and occupation with a view to national independence and people’s freedom. To answer this question, many patriotic uprisings and movements broke out, and numerous revolutionary intellectuals widely travelled abroad for national salvation, but to no avail. With powerful national consciousness, Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh spared no effort to find the answer to that question “there is no other way but the proletarian revolutionary path for national salvation and liberation”. Nguyen Ai Quoc’s lofty aspiration and burning desire was that peoples was liberated; the Homeland was independent, unified, and wealthy; people enjoyed freedom and happiness; and the society was equitable, democratic, and civilized, which serve as the consistent driving force and goal of Vietnamese revolution.

For the sake of the goal of “national independence and socialism”, while striving for national salvation, Nguyen Ai Quoc and our Party have accurately perceived national issues, and properly handled the relation between national interests and class ones in every revolutionary stage. While the Comintern (due to requirements in Europe at the time) only stressed class struggle, Nguyen Ai Quoc argued that “Nationalism is a driving force of the nation”. When nationalism prevails, it will certainly convert into internationalism”. Therefore, right in “Brief Political Platform”, he advocated bourgeois revolution of civil rights and the agrarian revolution advancing to communist society. The actualization of those sound viewpoints in the Party line genuinely pulled in and rallied a vast majority of the masses, and enabled the revolution to develop and overcome the challenges posed by the uprising of the Nghe-Tinh soviets (1930-1931); democratic campaign (1936-1939); and national liberation movements (1939-1945). Prior to the inception of the CPV on 3^rd February, 1930, the world had witnessed the working class’s successful revolutions as evidenced by the Russian October Revolution under the Lenin-headed leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union on 7^th November, 1911. The successful 1945 August Revolution and the advent of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was considered an insurrection for power via national immense strength; a great achievement in the creative application of Marxist-Leninist principles to Vietnam’s specific conditions; and an achievement of national great unity block and spirit of “taking our own strength to liberate ourselves”. Those triumphs resulted from sound guidelines; seizure and taking full advantage of ripe opportunity as well as putting national interests above all by President Ho Chi Minh and our Party; therefore, we encouraged and mobilized revolutionary forces. Also, the strength of national unity enabled the revolutionary power to cope with “domestic opponents and foreign enemy” against the backdrop of hang-by-a-thread domestic situation.

The Vietnamese resistance war against the French colonialists and the American imperialists was the greatest, longest, most challenging historic struggle against formidable imperialists. In response to the appeal by President Ho Chi Minh “We resolutely gain our independence even if we have to burn out Truong Son range and no matter how the final sacrifice made”; “there is nothing more precious than independence and freedom”, the whole peoples and Vietnamese expatriates without distinction as to religions and parties” united as one and brought into full play national tradition to triumph over foreign invaders, and reunified the country. Following the great 1975 Spring Victory, in the face of new difficulties and economic sanctions, the whole peoples stood shoulder to shoulder with the Party to surmount the trials and tribulations, firmly maintained the sociopolitical stability, and won northern and southwestern border defence war. Those outcomes stemmed from President Ho Chi Minh and our Party’s tight grip of Marxist-Leninist guidelines and methodology as well as placing national “independence and freedom” above all, thereby gathering and leading the whole people to defeat all foreign invaders.

Embarking on the period of Homeland construction and protection, fully aware of weighty responsibilities towards the nation, the Party set forth its renewal   policy which was considered to be an “issue of survival” to the nation and peoples. With a view to benefiting people and promoting people’s proactive and creative role over the course of the renewal process, the Party “reconsidered” some of theoretical issues, particularly dogmatic and mechanical ones. Grounded in firmly maintained socialist orientations, the Party advocated strengthening the socialist-oriented market economy, promoting international integration and the development of private economic sector, etc., whilst criticizing mechanical thinking leading to an impediment to people’s creativity. When the Party’s commitment and people’s will are unanimously united, our Party took the helm of Vietnamese revolution to surmount difficulties and challenges for the sake of stronger national development. Intrinsically, implemented creatively by people, the Party’s policy of renewal made up of accumulated hands-on initiatives and experience at grassroots level has met reality requirements, and had widespread popular support since it originated from national interests, and the masses’ rights and interests, thereby fully unleashing national potential, tapping physical and mental resources for its development.

Over the past years, amidst increasingly complex international and regional situation, our economy has still sustained stable growth. In particular, in the face of tough socioeconomic conditions and harsh natural catastrophes in 2017, Vietnam reached and exceeded 13 socio-economic set targets with high GDP growth standing at 6.81%. Vietnam also underwent stable macroeconomy; controlled inflation rate; high ex-import turnover; and became a magnet for international tourists and investment.  Rated a strong startup nation, Vietnam has always paced up with the development of global technology and information with 50% of its population (50 million people) accessing the Internet. Alongside socio-economic stability, considerable achievements were recorded in defence-security and diplomatic fields. Substantially promoted defence capabilities contributed to firmly safeguarding national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and ceaselessly heightening Vietnamese prestige and status in the international arena.

During the leadership process of renewal cause, the Party has always been conscious of its role as a ruling party and weighty responsibilities towards the whole nation and peoples; therefore, it has always taken “self-examination and self-correction” measures seriously. Against the backdrop of manifestations of degeneracy and corruption and disciplinary violations pertaining to personnel work and economic management, etc., amongst a section of cadres and party members, the Party reiterated those who in any position with disciplinary violations are subjected to strict punishments in a bid to restore people’s trust in the Party. Many cases of serious corruption and economic mismanagement even involving Party bigwigs, working and retired cadres have been strictly and resolutely handled in accord with Party regulations and State laws. The Central Inspection Commission and Government Inspectorate concentrated on inspecting and concluding violations and giving recommendations to competent authorities to take disciplinary action against various relevant organizations and individuals with wrongdoings. The Government Inspectorate alone conducted 6,800 administrative inspections; nearly 260,000 specialized inspections; all-level people’s Procuracy prosecuted 219 cases and 481 defendants; all-level people’s Court heard 205 trials, and 433 defendants with corruption allegations, etc. Those outcomes bear out the Party’s determination to combat “domestic enemy”, and render the Party pure and strong and worthy of people’s trust.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with the whole peoples for nearly eight decades, CPV has always striven for national independence and people’s happiness which serves as a fitting testament to negate the brazen and ridiculous distortion stating “the Party places class interests above national interests” by hostile opportunists.