THE ISSUE:

Throughout the developing world, corruption and abuse of local and internationally-provided resources are significant causes of internal unrest, radical movements and regional conflicts. Vietnam is a prime example of a repressive government seeking to gain international aid and acceptance while continuing unrestricted official abuses of power.

Vietnamese officials are being caught in contradictions caused by seeking a state-managed opening of its economy while trying to hold on to its one-party political system. Massive official corruption is creating popular discontent, similar to China. The August 8, 2006 Asia Times reports, “Misappropriation of land by powerful officials and large-scale evictions of peasants and poor people from their holdings in the name of development [has become routine].”

Forcible evictions to make way for roads and development projects are triggering social unrest and becoming an embarrassment for a country that is seeking both entry to the World Trade Organization and more foreign investment. Street protests by peasants who claim they have been deprived of their land [as well as protests by workers against unfair
labor conditions, especially in foreign-owned factories] are not uncommon in large urban centers such as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

Dr. Nguyen Dan Que, M.D. is Vietnam’s leading dissident. Designated as a Prisoner of Conscience by Amnesty International, he has spent most of the past 30 years of the Communist Party rule in labor camps, prisons or under house arrest due to his uncompromising calls for democracy. On May 11, 2006, Dr. Que issued an open letter calling for Vietnam’s people and government to move forward by creating a more open political system and by respecting civil and human rights. His recommendations are relevant for international reform in the developing world.

CORRUPTION IN VIETNAM:

An Open Appeal by Dr. Nguyen Dan Que

Corruption in Vietnam is an incurable chronic disease. It’s due to one-party rule and its attempt to synthesize free-market utopia with socialist ideals. As the result, contradictions are being exposed in the socialist political system. Recently, a sensational corruption scandal, known as PMU18 (Project-Management-Unit) conducted by the Transportation Ministry came to light just before the tenth Communist Party Congress. Also, during that Congress Prime Minister Phan Van Khai & State President Tran Duc Luong were kowtowing to the richest capitalist on earth, Bill Gates, begging him for help. Paraphrasing communist rhetoric, Vietnamese people ask themselves, “Is communism or capitalism writhing on its deathbed?”

PMU18 is a special case because it involves finances of the World Bank (WB), and loans from the Official Development Aid (ODA) of the United Kingdom and Japan. More than 7 million dollars were embezzled for soccer betting on games in Europe by top-officials of the Ministry of Transportation. As a result, the World Bank and ODA donors, private
investors, contractors and many foreign governments doing business with Vietnam have expressed great concerns over the economic slowdown caused by corruption and mismanagement.

To appease international opinion, Vietnamese communist leaders are once again talking about anti-corruption laws, committees and campaigns while wages are so low that government officials cannot make a living unless they engage in corruption. In nurturing corruption, many people become potential criminals for taking bribes and undermine each other by denouncing bribe taking.

Corruption in Vietnam is systemic and structural under the patronage of high-ranking communist party members, including some of the Politburo. This helps a significant portion of party members to get enriched. But the other side of the coin is when government officials are paid by businessmen, in return they use their authority to serve outside capitalists rather than State policies. This causes the whole system to be under the command of money.  Therefore the Politburo’s mastery is becoming weaker and weaker.

When high level party and government officials address anti-corruption, they reluctantly accuse lower-level officials who are exposed and sacrificed as scapegoats. Meanwhile, implicating the Politburo and central committee members is taboo. The PMU18 case is an exception because of the abuse of foreign aid and an internal conflict among leadership.

A one-party system cannot fight corruption because it lacks a free press and independence between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. No political system on earth could boast of successful results without all these tools. Moreover the Politburo of the Vietnamese Communist Party consider government posts and bribes to be prerogatives and privileges rewarded to the most loyal party members. So they would never have the political will to deal with corruption properly, just on the surface or in rhetoric.

The Vietnamese people are frustrated and angry at inefficient & corrupt government as they are the direct victims. They have no confidence in any anti-corruption promises of the government and the party. The most effective & realistic way to root out this red scourge is to educate the masses to insist upon Human Rights & Democracy as an end to tyranny and to establish rule of law.

We, democracy activists, are actually seeking to encourage that direction regardless of our enduring constant state-imposed harassment, to ensure: - The end of the dictatorship imposed by the communist Politburo while encouraging the role of the government to serve the people’s interests.

To overcome corruption in Vietnam, it is essential to:

1- Encourage press freedom by asking for more liberty in reporting and looking far & wide to expose many corruption scandals, including going to the top level of government, including Politburo members. This requires strong support from the international mass-media in a common struggle for total freedom of press in Vietnam.

2- Encourage the National Assembly to become a forum for people’s grievances through their deputies.

3-Encourage the investigation, prosecution & court systems to become more independent from the party through legal reforms aided & advised by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and a number of democratic countries.

4.  Encourage the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and donor countries to insist upon strict transparency when dealing with the Hanoi government.

At present, in the process of democratizing Vietnam, the communist dictatorship’s power is receding while People Power is rising. When People Power prevails that will be the moment to end one-party dictatorship & set up Democracy with multiparty participation. We can tackle corruption effectively. But only through freedom of the press and separation between executive, legislative & judiciary branches and peaceful change of government periodically through fair elections.

Nguyen Dan Que, M.D.