Vietnam's Party Boss Sets Eyes on Presidency

by Vu Kim Chung

31-10-2000

Vietnam's Communist Party boss is lobbying hard to also take over the country's presidency, a move which if successful would give him unprecedented political power in Vietnam. The presidential push by party Secretary General Le Kha Phieu came amid manoeuvring ahead of the Ninth Party Congress forum scheduled for March 2001 which would endorse the country's leadership and shape social, economic and foreign affairs policies for the following five years.

Le Kha Phieu: power play

General Phieu is dedicated to the party, which is Vietnam's only legitimate political force. But he is convinced that only he has the strength of character to rein in the acknowledged widespread corruption which threatens that legitimacy and which is causing the country to start to collapse both morally as well as economically. Corruption eventually leads to a country's economic collapse as was witnessed in Thailand in 1997 and, in particular, in Indonesia the following year. "Le Kha Phieu clearly wants the presidency so he can assume a greater role over foreign affairs, get to travel abroad with pomp and fanfare and be [considered] a world leader," Professor Abuza said. "But, more importantly, [as party Secretary General and president] he'd gain constitutional control over the military, and would thus be in sole control of the two most powerful political institutions in the country."

General Phieu's personal power may also be increased by the lack of any particularly charismatic or influential successor to Prime Minister Phan Van Khai. Despite official denials, Mr Khai has told the father of the editor of the Penguin Star he most likely would step down at the congress in March 2001.

General Phieu enjoys a high level of popular support over his tough stand on corruption and had been projecting an image as a "hands on leader" and a "man of the people". Recent photographs of him on the front pages of the state-controlled press, show him with sleeves rolled up personally supervising the administration of flood relief. Some observers suggest his apparent attempts to foster a personality cult have angered other senior figures who are said to be bristling at his allegedly autocratic style and disregard for the protocols of Vietnam's traditionally consensus-style politics.

The ruling triumvirate of president, prime minister and party secretary general has historically been carefully selected to meet regional imperatives. But Professor Abuza believes a formerly collective approach to decision making has now been replaced by intense factional infighting.

"Individuals, and especially Phieu, have been trying to consolidate as much power as at any time in the party's history," he said. "After all, Vietnamese society is still feudal, despite the trappings of a modern and increasingly outwardly western society. But beneath western-style clothes, music, cars and electronic gadgets, Vietnam is still politically and socially backwards and tends to feudalism with locally officials acting as petty tyrants."