Nguyễn Minh Triết: "Doing Away Article 4 of the Constitution is Suicidal !".

Editors: A main part of this article was discussed during an interview with the author by Viet Hung, an RFA reporter. The interview session was broadcasted on Sept 9, 2007, Vietnam local time.
Au Duong The
Courtesy of www.dcpt.org and RFA.

A Chosen Moment for an Important Announcement.

As Head of State, and the Chairman of National Defense Council Mr Nguyễn Minh Triết on August 27  visited the General Political Department (GPD) of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), where delivered an important speech about the current state of the national defense security problem. The timing of this remark was not at random. For the remark coincided with the celebration of the 62^nd anniversary since Vietnamese communists seized power from the French. Far from being coincidental, the speech delivered to GPD audience was a calculated intend: it’s a common knowledge to everyone that GPD is where all of important decisions regarding internal and national security matters are made.

Mr. Nguyễn Minh Triết dedicated a good part of the speech, trying hard to paint a picture about the risk the regime are facing; the risk from outside and within country which he termed as “enemies" and “reactionaries”.  Proceeded from that assumption he declared: "No matter how distorted a view people are talking,  including those who want to do away with Article 4 of the Constitution [Article 4 vests the absolute power on the communist party], it won't happen.  To do away with Article 4 is equivalent of committing suicide.  Therefore, we have to shore up  political indoctrination and enlarge party's responsibility."   

The Meaning of Nguyễn Minh Triết’s Announcement 

Triết’s intention in this announcement is clearly understood: the party chief and his lieutenants try to use all means to sustain and prolong the monopoly of the Communist Party. Article 4 of the 1992 Constitution gives the Vietnamese Communist Party the sole power to govern country. But from the view of political observers, one can see when Triết sounded such warnings, he unintentionally revealed a certain important issues that warrant our attentions.

 1. Even after 62 years of authoritarian ruling Triết and his group still advocating for a power monopoly. This shows they are worrying about the people; that the people are not convinced as they had hoped. 

2. After 62 years monopolistic ruling they still do not trust the people: army and security apparatus are needed still to suppress people and opposed voices — an indication of a weak authority.

 3. Openly advocating for a monopoly control of power shows that government leaders are in favor of taking away basic civil liberties of the people.

Thus, through such demands, Triết and leaders of the regime have admitted that they have failed in term of exercising their leadership and formulation a national policy. It can be said that, up until now there was no official statement which indicated a failure of the regime after an authoritarian rule of 62 years such as the statement made by Triet at the GPD meeting.

Does the Warning Reflect an Internal Struggle Within the Party?

Triet’s warnings, viewed not only as a threat to democracy advocators, can be seen as an apprehension from the leaders. The sources of this apprehension are various:

1. The phrase: “No matter how distorted a view people are talking..."   Triết used in the speech indicates the anxiety, the apprehensiveness of the leaders about the reputation of the party to the people, party members, military establishment, internal security cadres. ... That the party reputation is damaged due to corruption, grafts, bribery, abuses of authority … those problems are now seeping and permeating into and being tolerated by every branch and sector of the party: these types of problems exist even within the party chairman’s family and the members of the Central Committee (scandals about wrong doings by governmental agencies and units such as T2, T4, PMU18, and the convictions thereof, is case in point) .

2. More than a few different classes in Vietnamese society now think it’s time to re-evaluate the role of the Communist Party and its omnipotent ruling power. Will it be allowed to retain the ruling authority while at the same time a better result of corruption fighting is expected? Experts, middle and upper-ranking cadres, and “old revolutionaries” have openly commented that “the system created people,” that, “corruption is the product of the [government] structure.” Their remarks reflected clearly and precisely about the sources of the issues in today Vietnam society.

3. Naturally, in politic rivalry, communist government’s opposition organizations have the right to find ways poking at the regime's vulnerable spots. Democracy advocators, particularly, in and outside of Vietnam, will want to mobilize resources within the country and abroad to alert the world about human rights violations committed by Hanoi, and at the same time spread awareness about democracy. Mr Triet, and the country leaders, of course, must know what brings about these discontents; these uprisings from the mass.

Why the Catch Phrase was not Reported by the Vietnamese Media?  
Everyone knows communist and authoritarian regimes’ propaganda's thrives on the commoners, the mass. Communist propagandists, however, do avoid leaving any incriminate trace behind lest the evidence become an inconvenience down the road. The point to make here is that Triet’s statement was allowed to be broadcasted in its entirely but was not permitted to be disseminated in either electronic or printed forms. That’s because Triết’s elicitation shown the unreasonable dictatorship’s demands from Head of the State!.

But the leaders of  the Communist Party forget two very essential things:      

1. In the Internet information age, all matters will be recorded and broadcasted instantaneously, same for  radio and television. 

2. Political awareness of people are becoming increasingly high and sharp. 

"Suicidal": What is the Message ? 

The words "suicidal" which Triết mentioned here embraced a political content. Lie under its meaning, if the Communist Party does not have a policy and road map correctly, the party will reach a point where self-destruction or a dissolution will taken place. If knowing that suicidal or not suicidal concern of the Communist Party as same for the regime depend totally on the consciousness and responsibility of the ones currently in charge of the regime. If these peoples maintain dictatorship ruling, repression of the people and the democracy advocators, then this is just themselves carry out an act of political destruction. For in this globalization age, the integration of Vietnam into the international community and electronic information, the dictatorial actions and repressive behaviors will no longer have effects and will lose its foothold. But if they are aware of its ineffectiveness and immediately eliminate the wrong behaviors, then they can be certain of a future ahead!

So, in opinion of political observers, we think that if Triết is intelligent and understand the situation, in reality he must say:”  In the beginning of the 21^st century, if  the Communist Party contend to keep constitution's article 4 to continue with dictatorship then the Party will commit suicide! “