The author of the report made wrongful comments on the human rights situation in Vietnam based on several specific phenomena. With such a non-objective vision, Vietnam’s human rights record was described as ‘unsatisfactory” or “continually riddled with serious abuses”. The report says “Economic reforms and the rising standard of living continued to reduce the Party and Government’s control over, and intrusion into, daily life” without considering that Vietnam’s positive changes are a result of the unceasing efforts over the past years for the sake of fundamental human rights.
It is not so difficult to realise the paradoxical comments in the report. Vietnam has made public the draft political report to be presented at the upcoming National Party Congress to gather public opinions on the country’s important issues. Rarely has there been such a widespread political activity, which drew the participation of people from all social strata, including those coming from overseas. Never before has the press developed its role like at present, particularly in the fight against corruption and other social evils. In fact, up to 90 percent of negative phenomena uncovered by the press were correct, which helped the Government implement timely measures to deal with the cases. But in the report, the freedom of the press and speech was still described as “being significantly restricted by the Government”.
Early last year, Monk Thich Nhat Hanh and his entourage, comprising 200 Buddhist monks and nuns from 30 countries, made a three-month tour of major localities in Vietnam. Pagodas were fully packed with Buddhist followers when he preached and those sermons were guaranteed by relevant Vietnamese agencies. During a visit to Vietnam late last year, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Minister of Vatican Missionary Works, attended a ceremony to ordain 57 priests in the presence of Catholic crowds at the Cathedral in Hanoi. He also attended another ceremony to establish the Ba Ria Vung Tau diocese, which was separated from the Xuan Loc diocese due to the growing number of Catholics. This is clear evidence of the religious freedom and development in Vietnam. But in the report, the author insisted that “The government issued restrictions on religious freedom”. If Vietnam restricted human rights and oppressed religions, how could Hoang Minh Chinh, which was considered a dissident by the author, make use of his visit to the US to create distortions about the country and was not arrested upon his return?
It is worth mentioning that Vietnam’s unceasing efforts to improve people’s fundamental human rights have been acknowledged by the world community. A report drafted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) affirmed that in the past decades, Vietnam’s GDP growth rate has been among the highest in the world, which has significant impacts on people’s living conditions. As a result, the poverty rate has been halved over the past two decades. Former UNDP chief resident in Vietnam Jordan Ryan said the Doi Moi (Renewal) process has helped bring a facelift to Vietnam. The process has proved to be the most successful model for an economy in a transitional period like Vietnam. It would be a paradoxical result if one of the miracles of the 20th century was performed in a regime which “oppresses democracy and human rights” as the author of the report put it.
Of course, we are not completely perfect in human rights issues, but this sensitive issue should be taken into account in the context of national development, as well as in the specific circumstances of each country. From this angle, it is safe to say that Vietnam has made every effort to guarantee its citizens’ fundamental human rights. This can be found in the White Book on Human Rights published by Vietnam last year. The book not only presents a clear view of Vietnam’s human rights achievements from the past to the present, but also shows the country’s commitments to guaranteeing people’s fundamental human rights. Human rights are also discussed during dialogues between Vietnam and many countries, including the US and they are not products of pressure from outside, as fabricated by certain forces lacking goodwill towards the country.
Regrettably, these positive changes in Vietnam have been overshadowed by the non-objective comments as mentioned in the US report. People wondered if the author tried to impose his country’s view of human rights on other countries, without considering whether or not it is acceptable. This question was raised again when the US became a hot topic of public discussions on human rights. What did the author think when the UN, alongside Britain, France and Germany, recently asked the US to close down Guantanamo prison due to its human rights violations? A recent poll published by Associate Press showed that a majority of Europeans expressed their suspicion of the US role in promoting democracy in the world. Most respondents in Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain said that the US was no longer worth playing a leading role in the global democratic campaign.
The US human rights report only reflects viewpoints of several forces, which have made use of sensitive issues such as democracy, human rights, and religious freedom to intervene in the internal affairs of other countries. It contains prejudiced views taken by a minority of people who remained obsessed by the past and stubborn to prevent the development of relations between Vietnam and the US. This old way of thinking runs counter to the current trend of co-operation between Vietnam and the US, which are looking to the future of development for the benefit of the two countries’ people. In this context, those outspoken critics will only strike discordant notes and fall into oblivion.
The US Department of State has recently released its annual report on the human rights situation in many countries around the world, including Vietnam. In a recent issue, Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People’s Army) newspaper said that despite its acknowledgement of improvements in human rights compared to previous years, the report still contains prejudiced views and impositions in its assessments of the situation in Vietnam.
Đăng ẩn
Tắt
Add new comment