What is the so-called “democracy fighters”

Recently, a number of people in the name of “patriotic intellectual” or “compassionate intellectual” have proclaimed themselves “democracy fighters,” dropped out of the Party, and taken advantage of democracy to speak, write and act against Vietnam’s Constitution and law. Therefore, it is necessary to recognise, condemn and fight against those people who commit degradation in political ideology and demonstrate “self-evolution” and “self-transformation.”

“Democracy fighters” are among a small number of our former cadres and party members. Some of them were ever highly valued with their important positions in the Party and the State. Basically, they have been retired or discharged from offices due to their age or misconduct. To defend their “honour” and “dignity” and conceal their misconduct, they have hurriedly criticised our Party and State. More seriously, they have announced their abandonment of the Party with an extremely subjective, superficial reason that the Communist Party of Vietnam had fulfilled its historical role, being unable to lead the country, hindering the national development. With those arguments and actions, they have been supported and praised like “heroes” by hostile and reactionary forces. Consequently, they have plunged into writing, speaking, and acting against the Party’s guidelines and viewpoints as the basis for the hostile forces to distort and undermine our Party and State’s leadership role and prestige. It can’t be denied that they have committed degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle and expressed the signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation.”

Any member of the Communist Party of Vietnam is a revolutionary soldier in the vanguard of Vietnam’s working class, voluntarily devotes themself to the goal and ideal of the Party, Homeland, working class, and labouring people, seriously complies with the Party’s Political Platform, Charter and resolutions and the State’s law, leads a moral and healthy lifestyle, maintains a close-knit bond with the people, absolutely observes the Party’s discipline and organisation, and preserves a sense of unity and consensus within the Party. Each party member must have political zeal, keep their faith in the socialist goal and ideal, voluntarily strive and sacrifice for national independence and socialism, actively implement the Party’s renewal policy, and successfully fulfil their responsibilities and assigned tasks. Besides, they must have a sense of responsibility, set an exemplary, vanguard role in their work, put the benefits of the Party and the Homeland first, maintain a close-knit bond the people, respect and defend the people’s right to mastery, lead a disciplined, morally pure, healthy lifestyle, and resolutely combat the signs of bureaucracy, corruption, and wastefulness.

As a result, over the past 90 years, our Party has always maintained a close-knit bond with the people and strived for the goal of wealthy people, strong nation, democracy, equality, and civilisation. To realise that goal and ideal, the Party has kept renewing itself and leading the Vietnamese revolution to overcome numerous difficulties and hardships and obtain impressive achievements in the economic, political, social, and diplomatic fields, which has been highly appreciated by the world. The country’s economic power and the people’s life have been unceasingly improved. In 2019, in spite of difficulties in the world economy, Vietnam achieved a growth rate of 7.2%. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in the period of 1990-2008, Vietnam was among the countries with the highest Human Development Index growth rate. According to this organisation, Vietnam worked a miracle in the fight against poverty with a 1.45% reduction in poor households in 2019. In the past 15 years, Vietnam has fulfilled all 8 millennium goals and 5 of them have been accomplished prior to the deadline. Pratibha Mehta, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam ever said that a few countries managed to achieve significant achievements like Vietnam and it was the result of a constant, effective process with the political resolve of the country’s Party and State. It is worth noting that on June 7^th, 2019, Vietnam was elected as a Non-Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure with the highest vote of ever (192/193) in the 75-year history of the United Nations. It proves that Vietnam’s prestige and status in the international arena have been raised and that Vietnam plays an increasingly important role in all multilateral mechanisms which we have joined.

In addition, the country’s achievements under the Party’s leadership have manifested in the social security policies, particularly on health and education that the people are enjoying. Notably, the superiority of the socialist regime persistently selected by our Party has been clearly expressed in the fight against COVID-19 when we have mobilised all possible social resources to ensure the safety of all people, regardless of age, class, and nationality. We have managed to halt the spread of this pandemic. For the sake of the people’s health, we have sacrificed the national economy’s growth. When all people join hands in “fighting the disease like fighting enemies,” their faith in the socialist regime selected by our Party and nation is increasingly consolidated. That is a full answer to groundless arguments by “democracy fighters” and “patriotic intellectuals.”

Obviously, in the process of leadership over the country, our Party has made mistakes. Within the Party, there are members who commit degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle as well corruption, wastefulness and negative practices. Some of them have showed serious degradation in political ideology, lacked the faith and steadfastness in the goal of national independence and socialism, the Party’s guidelines, and the State’s policy and law. They have no longer fulfilled the responsibilities and duties of cadres and party members. There have been many reasons for cadres and party members’ degeneracy; however, the main one is that they have lacked self-improvements in revolutionary ethics and fell into selfishness and individualism. They have also displayed weaknesses, ambiguity, fallacy, and fluctuation in their political ideology and revolutionary ideal, thereby leading to doubts about the Party’s leadership and the goal of national independence and socialism, lacking “immunity” and “resistance” against social negative practices, being complicit with the sabotage strategy by the hostile forces and reactionary elements.

The signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within have greatly impacted on the Party’s prestige and the people’s faith in the Party. The 12^th Party Central Committee’s Resolution No.4 on the Party building and rectification has pointed out those signs and set out urgent measures for renewing and building the Party “politically, ideologically, morally and organisationally.” According to the Resolution, the Party will resolutely, persistently fight against and wipe out degenerates within itself. Many cadres and party members, including senior ones have been punished and even prosecuted.

Resolutely, strictly handling violations, preventing and pushing back degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle as well as the signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within, together with exercising self-examination, self-criticism, and criticism within the Party have initially made a positive change and helped deter cadres and party members from committing corruption and negative practices, prevent degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle among cadres and party members, and cement the people’s faith in the Party. Hence, it is impossible to take advantage of those above-mentioned weaknesses and shortcomings to deny the Party’s leadership. More importantly, it is unreasonable to equate the whole Communist Party of Vietnam with a number of cadres and party members who commit degradation and corruption or associate all weaknesses, mistakes, and negative practices within the society with the Party. Rejecting the Party’s leadership role is to deny history and the people’s faith, to go against the national benefits, and to offend against the Vietnamese people’s most sacred sentiment for the Party.

Therefore, those who proclaim themselves “democracy fighters” are substantially political opportunists. They take advantage of democracy to fight against the Party, deliberately speak, write, and act against the Party’s Political Platform, Charter, resolutions, directives and the State’s law and policy. They equate examples relating to a section of cadres and party members’ weaknesses with the Party, which lacks objectivity, comprehensiveness, historicity, and specificity. Unintentionally, they ally themselves with a section of bad elements that our Party is actively fighting to eradicate, with a view to making itself more pure and stronger.

If “democracy fighters” are not politically strong enough to continue on the revolutionary road, they should strive to become good citizens. Do not take advantage of “democracy” to speak and act against the entire nation’s will and aspirations. Such wrongdoings will be certainly condemned and weeded out by our progressive society.