Nguyen Trong Phuc

Communist Review, No.107/2006

The Vietnamese revolution in general and socialist construction in particular led by the Communist Party of Vietnam are great political causes under the banner of national independence and socialism. In the struggle for national independence, our Party and people have undergone many difficulties and hardship, won glorious victories and made prominent theoretical and practical contributions. Socialist construction is a profound, comprehensive and complete revolution which poses new difficulties and challenges for our Party that does not yet have much experience in this field. Thus, our Party has constantly reviewed and improved theoretical awareness and creative thinking capacity to make correct plans and realise revolutionary policies.

The 6^th Party Congress in December 1989 maintained that: " For our country, renovation is an urgent demand of the revolutionary cause and a vital issue." ¹ For many years, our Party’s knowledge of socialism was outdated, especially concepts of industrialisation, socialist reform, economic management mechanisms, distribution and circulation. This was one of the causes which delayed the country’s development and even caused socio-the economic crisis in the first stage of the transitional period. That is why, the country must renovate, and first of all in terms of thinking. The 6^th Party Congress said: "To renovate thinking, the Party should firmly grasp the revolutionary and scientific nature of Marxist-Leninism and, inherit Ho Chi Minh ideology on revolutionary ideology and theory." The 6^th Party’s leading guidelines were very clear and profoundly significant. "Renovating thinking does not means nullifying theoretical achievements and popular rules of development to build socialism, identified correct policies. On the contrary, it supplements and develops those achievement." ²

The renovation policies are products of renovating, experiment of socialist building experiment, inheritance and improving policies and seriously reviewing reality. We can confirm that the renovation policies initiated by the 6^th Party Congress and supplemented and developed through subsequent congresses manifested constantly renewed political thinking.

In the process of renovation, seeing that our backward economy started at a low level, our Party focuses on economic renovation, creating a breakthrough development to bring our country out of the crisis and stabilising and improving the people’s living standards. The renewal of economic policies has been implemented consistently and extended from renovating economic to management structures, from creating leaps and bounds in agriculture with the promulgation of the Resolution 10 of the Political Bureau on April 5, 1988 to the development of the socialist-oriented multi-sector commodity economy, which operates according to the market economy under State regulation. We should bring into full play our internal strength, liberate production forces, expand international cooperation to attract foreign investors, actively integrate into the world economy, alleviate poverty, accelerate industrialisation and modernisation, implement the strategy on scientific and technical development and develop the knowledge economy. Given these correct policies, our Party and State have brought our country out of the socio-economic crisis in 1996 and recorded great economic successes during 20 years of renovation.

There would be no economic achievements if there was no political thinking renewal from the formation and development of renovation policies started by the 6^th Party Congress, the Platform on national construction in the transitional period to socialism adopted by the 7^th Party Congress in June 1991 and finalised by the 8^th Party Congress in June 1996 and 9^th Party Congress in April 2001. Reviewing systematically and carefully the development of renovation policies during the past 20 years, we can see clearly the Party’s wise political thinking. It is possible to confirm that politically building the Party, and ensuring the correctness, scientific characters and practicality of Party’s policies are decisive factors in the renovation process. This is also a key task of the Party building.

Politics is the concentrated manifestation of economy. However, politics has its own role and has great influence on the economy. V.I.Lenin pointed out that without a correct political standpoint, no class can maintain its rule and thus can’t fulfill its tasks in production tasks.

Fully understanding and successfully handling relations between politics and economy in the renovation process, the Communist Party of Vietnam has closely combined economic with political renewal right from the beginning, considering economic renewal as key task. " Generally speaking, our Party started the renovation process with political thinking renewal in domestic and foreign policy making. Without this renovation, there is no other renovation."³

Politics, under the Party’s rule and socialist construction, first should ensure and improve the Party’s role and leadership, strengthen the socialist State’s management effectiveness and ensure the people’s right to master the country. Renovation in political thinking does not only lead to a clearer understanding of the objectives and path to socialism but also objective reality clarifies theoretical issues on the Party’s leadership, the State’s role and management and the people’s right to be masters of the country.

The political thinking of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s renovation process is a system of theoretical viewpoints on upholding national independence and socialist construction, and building and promoting the role and strength of the political system, especially the role of the Party and State and the role of the people.

The 6^th Party Central Committee, 6^th Tenure in March 1989 set out six principles for the renovation process. These principles are correct and significant guidelines during the renewal cause. Advancing towards socialism is an essential path, and the ideological objective of the Party and people. Thus, renovation does not change socialist objectives but implements these objectives in a more effective manner through a correct understanding of socialism, and suitable forms, steps and measures. These are primary principles of the renovation process of the Communist Party and people of Vietnam.

Persistently realising these principled objectives, our Party has never renounced socialist objectives, though the economy is shifting to a multi-sector commodity economy operating according to the market mechanism. Through the reality of the renovation process, awareness of the path, steps and stages towards socialism in the transitional period has been improved. The 8^th Party Congress confirmed that our country fulfilled its tasks for the first stage of the transitional period and transferred to the stage of industrialisation and modernisation to be completed by 2020. The Party Congress generalised a model of the socialist regime with 6 typical characteristics set out by the Congress Program and being built by our people. The 10^th Party Congress reviewed the 20-year renovation and confirmed that the socialist regime being built by our people will make our people prosperous, our country strong and our society equitable, democratic and civilised and our people masters of the county. There will be a highly developed economy based on modern production forces and production relations, which conform to the level of the production force. It will possesses an advanced culture imbued with national identity. Its people, liberated from oppression and injustice, will lead a plentiful, free and happy life. Nationalities in the Vietnamese community are equal and united and help each other to develop. The law-governed State is of the people, for the people and by the people under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam. It establishes friendly and cooperative relations with other countries. The Congress also clarified the possibility of bypassing the capitalist regime to advance to socialism with correct methods and measures to implement socialist objectives.

The improved awareness of the development of the Party is the result of reviewing of the renovation process and a product of new political thinking.

It is necessary to emphasis that from the beginning and during the renovation process, the Party paid special attention to maintaining socio-political stability, building and consolidating the strength of the political system. In the 6^th Party Congress in March 1989, 6^th Tenure, the Party officially used the concept of political system and emphasised the task of making the political system work more effectively and dynamically. The Party 1991 Platform made a thorough presentation of the political system and the leadership of the Party. The Platform confirmed that the Communist Party of Vietnam considers Marxist-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh ideology its ideological foundation and compass for its action, concentrated democracy its fundamental organisational principle. The Party leads the country by platforms, strategies, orientations, policies and lines, dissemination and mobilisation and control and Party members must set examples for other people. The Party introduces outstanding, capable and virtuous Party members to administrations and mass organisations. The Party does not act instead of other organisations in the political system. The Platform also defined clearly the role, functions and tasks of the State, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and mass organisations. The Vietnamese State unifies legislative, executive and judiciary power with a clear delegation of power. The Vietnam Fatherland Front is a political alliance of mass organisations and typical individuals of classes, social stratas, ethnics, religions and is a political foundation for the people’s administrations. The Communist Party of Vietnam is a member and at the same time the leader of the Front. The activities of the political system include building and gradually finalising the socialist democracy and ensuring power belongs to the people.

To renovate the political system and ensure leadership, management and operation of the renewal process, the Party should improve its political thinking, and lead and complete the political system in Vietnam.

On State building, the 2^nd Party Plenum, 7^th Tenure decided to reform and renew the State apparatus to enhance the effectiveness of State management through legislation. The mid-term Party Congress in January 1994, 7^th Tenure set out its task to build the socialist State governed by law of the people, for the people and by the people. The 8^th Party Central Committee Plenum, the 3^rd Party Central Committee Plenum, 8^th Tenure and 9^th Tenure developed and finalised viewpoints on building a law-governed socialist State of the people, for the people and by the people. The 10^th Party Congress stressed the need to promote democracy and build the law-governed socialist State. The unified, fundamental and constant viewpoint of the Party is that the State power is unified with delegation and coordination among agencies exercising legislative, executive and judiciary power. Mechanisms to protect the Constitution and ensure the supremacy of the Constitution and laws in socio-economic life have been developed. During the 20 years of renovation, the National Assembly has built and gradually finalised the legal system, and accelerated administration reform in terms of functions, tasks, management methods, State administrative organisations and staff. It has reformed the judiciary and juridical apparatus and operation. These efforts proved the State’s important role in the renovation process and reflect the Party’s new ways of thinking about the State’s role and operations.

Set out in the 1991 Platform, the building of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and mass organisations was identified more clearly by Resolution 07/NQTW of the Political Bureau, 7^th Tenure and the 8^th and 9^th Party Congress. With their activities and operations, the Front and mass organisation have made important contributions to strengthening the political system, promoting the people’s right to master the country and consolidate the national unity bloc. The 10^th Party Congress also demanded the Vietnam Fatherland Front and mass organisations fulfill their function as the country’s supervisors and caretakers.

As far as Party building and leadership are concerned, the 6^th Party Congress reviewed lessons from considering the people as the root, respecting reality and acting upon objective laws, considering them conditions to ensure the Party correct leadership. "The Party must be built to be a ruling Party which leads the people in the socialist revolution."⁴ The 1991 Platform confirmed a big lesson: "the correct leadership of the Party is the pivotal factor, ensuring the victory of the Vietnamese revolution. The Communist Party of Vietnam is the vanguard of the Vietnamese working class, the loyal representative of the interests of the working class, people and nation." The Platform stressed that the Party should firmly grasp, creatively apply and contribute to developing Marxist-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh ideology and constantly enrich its knowledge, political acumen, organisation capacity to solve problems posed by the revolution.

Viewpoints of the Party, its role, its building and rectification in leading the renovation process must be based on the above-mention standpoints. The 3^rd Party Central Committee, 7^th Tenure, the 6^th Party Central Committee (2^nd phase), 8^th Tenure, developed and regulated contents and demands to make the Party building and rectification suitable to the renovation process. Since 1991, the Party was aware of the necessity to made self-renovation and heighten its wisdom and leading capacity.

The 9^th Party Congress pointed to demands and tasks of building and rectifying the Party, improving the Party’s leading capacity and fighting strength. The Congress maintained that achievements and constraints of the renovation process and national construction and defense were associated with the Party leadership and the strong and weak points of Party building. The 10^th Party Congress deemed it necessary to continue to renovate, rectify and build a clean and firm Party, to improve its leading capacity and fighting strength to be on par with the new demands and tasks. This is a demand of vital significance for our Party and regime. The Party’s leadership of the renovation process has been recognised by the people and highly appreciated by international friends. This can’t be negated or distorted by any hostile forces.

Together with achievements in Party building and successes in the renovation process, our Party has been critical of its weaknesses in leading and managing the country. At the 10^th Party Congress, the Party frankly confessed that the campaign on Party building and rectification fell short of expectations. Degradation in ideology, politics, virtue, ethics and life style is alarming. Opportunism, bureaucracy, corruption, waste, harassment among Party officials and members are serious negative activities. Many Party organisations lack fighting strength and are unable to solve complicated problems at the grassroots level. Unconvincing ideological dissemination activities are of low effectiveness. Theoretical research is unable to clarify some important issues in the renovation process. The rearrangement of the political apparatus has not been completed. Personnel and organisation work in some areas is weak. The quality and effectiveness of control and supervision is not high. These weaknesses result from slow changes in Party thinking. The leadership of the implementation of Party resolutions is poor. Some Party officials and members prove to be unqualified to fulfill their tasks, and thus do not set examples for other people.

This is a frank and responsible self-criticism. A political feature of a ruling Party is to frankly recognise weaknesses, and clearly define solutions to rectify problems. This is a manifestation of a revolutionary genuine, strong and progressive Party as required by President Ho Chi Minh. Our Party always welcomes and respects opinions, comments and criticism by the people. The people have contributed tens of thousands of responsible and heartfelt opinions to draft documents to be submitted to the 10^th Party Congress from February 3 to March 3, 2006. However, there are people who took advantage of this opinion collection drive to nullify the achievements of our revolution and renovation process. They grudgingly and grossly distorted history, and demanded the Communist Party of Vietnam renounce their leading role, and the socialist path. Their allegations and demands were flatly rejected by public opinion and our people. The glorious victories of the Vietnamese revolution in the 20^th century and successes of the renovation process in our country have proved that the socialist path is scientific, revolution and practical.

Our Party has never satisfied with what it has done and always sets higher requirements and demands. Successes of the 20-year-renovation process are great and of historical significance. However, there are many difficulties and challenges in the future. To bring our country out of less development situation by 2010 to become an industrialised and modern country by 2020 requires great efforts by our people and an enhanced leading and fighting capacity in the Party.

Heightening its leading and fighting capacity, the Party should improve its wisdom, thinking and theoretical level. It must persist on the path of Marxist-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh ideology, and uphold objectives of national independence and socialism. It should pay attention to reviewing reality and developing theory to supplement and develop its platforms and policies. It must also enhance its political acumen to overcome all difficulties, strengthen its organisational strength and the quality of Party officials and members, and screen its Party members regularly to remove members who are no longer entitled from the Party. It must promote traditions and values of the Party like independence, creativeness, unity, undauntedness, modeling, vanguard role, closely linking them to people and internationalism. The success of the 10^th Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam ushered in a new development stage of the Vietnamese revolution and country.

(1) The 6^th Party National Congress, the Truth Publishing House, 1987, p. 125

(2) Op.cit

(3) Document of the 8^th Party National Congress, the National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1996, p71

(4) Document of the 6^th Party National Congress, the Truth Publishing House, Hanoi, 1987, p.31