Vietnam's government, state and legislature have three new top
leaders younger than their predecessors within two days, who are
expected to give a stronger boost to the country's various spheres,
especially economy.
The National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam, the country's highest
legislative body, elected Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung,
57, Prime Minister, and Secretary of the Party Committee of
southern Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Minh Triet, 64, State President on
Tuesday, after electing the Secretary of the Party Committee of
Hanoi capital Nguyen Phu Trong, 62, the legislature's chairman on
Monday.
The three new faces of Dung, Triet and Trong with both virtue
and talent will breathe new life to the efficiency of operations of
Vietnam's government, state and legislature. Dung and Triet, born
in the southern region, have worked for years in southern
localities including Ho Chi Minh City, which is considered the
country's most dynamic locality in terms of many fields, especially
economy. Dung, the youngest prime minister of Vietnam in the last
20 years, is expected to keep on making considerable contribution
to accelerating the country's renovation process, which prioritizes
economic development and political and social stabilization, as he,
along with his mentor Phan Van Khai, have done since September 1997
when Dung took office as permanent deputy prime minister at the
young age of 48.
Many local and foreign observers have believed that Dung,
liberal and experienced, will, in the coming time, especially after
its entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), have policies to
continue market reforms which have changed a poor country like
Vietnam into one of the world's fastest-growing economies with
economic growth of 8.4 percent in 2005.
Their belief is not baseless since Khai and Dung have played a
leading role in the introduction of the Enterprise Law in 2000,
which has fueled economic growth and been hailed by the local
business community. Besides, Dung has been in charge of many fields
relating to economy.
Dung was head of the Economic Commission under the Communist
Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) between June 1996 and
August 1997, governor of the State Bank of Vietnam in 1998, and
chairman of the National Finance and Monetary Council, head of the
Central Steering Committee on Reforming State-owned Enterprises,
head of the State Committee on National Major Works, and permanent
deputy prime minister from September 1997 and June 2006. As a
deputy prime minister, he was in charge of many important
ministries and sectors, including public security, finance,
industry and transport.
In his acceptance speech on Tuesday afternoon, Dung stressed
that the Vietnamese government will "synchronously build up the
socialist-oriented market economy, be active and dynamic in the
international economic integration, rapidly develop economic
sectors and types of enterprises, mobilize and well use all
sources, especially the internal strength to speed up
industrialization and modernization."
The government will take measures to develop the knowledge-
based economy in a quick and sustainable manner and other fields,
including culture, education, science and technology, Dung said,
adding it will also attach importance to major social issues like
poverty reduction, healthcare provision, job creation, and anti-
corruption, wastefulness and bureaucracy.
Like Dung, newly-elected state president Nguyen Minh Triet is a
reform supporter who is expected to follow his predecessor Tran Duc
Luong and leave his own hallmarks of liberal deeds. During his two
straight terms from 1997 to 2006, Luong placed special attention to
major social issues like agriculture and rural development, poverty
reduction, national unity, healthcare service provision, and
minimization of death sentences.
Triet said he would center on judicial and administrative
reform, and diplomacy. "All stages, from investigation, prosecution
to trial and prevention, of our judicial system still have
limitations," he told local reporters on Tuesday.
To deal with cumbersome and overlapping administrative agencies,
Vietnam should empower authorities at different levels to deal with
socioeconomic issues, highlight individual responsibility of state
cadres and employees, and harmonize decision-making with decision
enforcement, he said.
The focal task of Vietnam's diplomacy in the coming time is to
"maintain peaceful environment, create favorable international
conditions, and protect national independence and sovereignty,
helping successfully realize the cause of national
industrialization and modernization," he said.
Unlike Dung and Triet, Trong, is known as a relatively cautious
official specializing in theory affairs for years. Some local
lawmakers said Trong is a virtuous man, but his professional
knowledge and lack of law-making experience may make him difficult
to adapt himself to the post of top legislator.
Trong, who currently holds a doctorate degree on party
construction, studied at the Literature-Linguistics Faculty of the
Hanoi General University (now the Hanoi National University), spent
years working at the Communist Magazine, and acted as secretary of
the Hanoi Party Committee until holding the current post. In his
acceptance speech on Monday, he acknowledged that "I find myself
having many limitations, both in knowledge and experience."
However, he exhibited strong determination in enriching his
knowledge and joining hands with other lawmakers to "improve
operation of the National Assembly, in law-making, supreme
supervision and making decision on our country's important issues.
"
As the top legislator, he will, in the coming time, play a role
in passing new laws, especially those important to Vietnam's
accession to the WTO, hopefully in late 2006, and enforcement of
commitments the country signs with foreign partners.
On Monday, the legislature approved resignations of outgoing
one-term NA chairman Nguyen Van An, 69, outgoing second-term Prime
Minister Phan Van Khai, 73, and outgoing second-term State
President Tran Duc Luong, 69. Their term did not expire until mid-
2007, but they decided to resign to make way for a generation of
younger and more effervescent leaders, following the policy of
rejuvenation of the leadership.
Moreover, the change of leadership is to serve the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, the biggest-ever political and
economic event in the country, slated for November in Hanoi with
the expected participation of 20 leaders from the Asia-Pacific
region, including US President George Bush and Chinese President Hu
Jintao.
(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2006)
