Democracy to promote socialism
A number of important documents were approved at the 11th National Party Congress such as the political platform for the transitional period to socialism in Vietnam (supplemented and revised in 2011) and the socio-economic development strategy for the 2011-2020 period.
A VOV reporter interviewed Professor Le Huu Nghia, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration, about these documents.
VOV: What are the new points in the political platform for the transitional period to socialism in Vietnam approved at the 11th Congress?
Prof. Nghia: There are important new points in the platform, especially about the characteristics of socialism. One of the new characteristics mentioned in the platform is “prosperous people, strong country with rich people, democratic, equitable, and civilized society.”
What is new in this draft in comparison with that of the 10th Congress is placing the word "democracy" before the word "equality", because both the theory and the reality affirm that to have democracy is just to have equitableness and civilization, As Soviet leader Vladimir Ilyich Lenin said “Socialism is a million times more democratic than capitalism”.
Democracy is the motivation, objective, and a characteristic of socialism. However, it does not mean that we take the law lightly. Promoting democracy must go along with respecting the law.
Another characteristic of socialism is a social construction “by the people”, instead of “by workers” as mentioned in the 1991 political platform. This will strengthen the national unity bloc since every Vietnamese is considered as masters with a high sense of responsible for the country.
VOV: Can you elaborate more on the Party’s policies of combining economic development with political reform mentioned in the documents approved at the Congress?
Prof. Nghia: The new points in the 2011-2020 economic development strategy with a focus on five development ‘characteristics’, one of which is fast and sustainable development.
Although there have been heated discussions about the meaning of fast and sustainable development, I think they have a dialectical relation and we should focus on both.
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Regarding the association between economic development and political reforms, this does not mean that we should change our political system or our ideals. What we should do is to renew and change the operation method of the political system to support the economic development.
VOV: What relationship is considered the most important in the socio-economic development strategy?
Prof. Nghia: In the five-year draft political report, the Party mentioned eight dialectical relationships such as the relationship between reform, stability, and development; between economic and political reform; forces of production and production development; economic growth and cultural development; social progress and social equality; Party’s leadership, State management, and people’s mastery.
We have integrated these relationships into the Party’s political platform in order to provide effective guidance to the implementation of the five-year plan and the socio-economic development strategy.
The Party also pays more attention to promoting economic and cultural development; ensuring social equality; developing education and training, science and technology, and social welfare to ensure the development in all fields.
VOV: Thank you very much!