Beware of the trick of exploiting democracy to sabotage Vietnam

Don't understand or on purpose?

Discussing democracy and human rights, we must first understand that human rights are a noble and universal value for all mankind, a fact that no one can deny. However, from another perspective, the international community recognizes that human rights and democratic rights are historical values, directly and closely related to the development direction of the political and social regime, historical conditions and circumstances, cultural traditions... of each country and nation.

Those basic features are probably understood by everyone. So is it possible that some people, including those who often boast of being professors, doctors... who have held this or that position, do not understand that? If they understand but still deliberately bring up Western democracy and elections in capitalist countries to discuss and compare with democracy and the electoral system in Vietnam, then that is an absurd and unacceptable act.

Voters of Huu Khuong commune (Tuong Duong) go to the polls. Photo: Dinh Tuan

Moreover, it is impossible to copy the bourgeois democratic model and the electoral system.human rights standards" capitalist style to impose on Vietnam. The trick of "exporting" Western democracy, using "democracy and human rights" to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, including Vietnam, has been planned by hostile forces for a long time. The Vietnamese people and peace-loving humanity are no strangers to such dark tricks.

Vietnam is ready to learn and absorb the world’s best practices to perfect its democracy. However, Vietnam strongly and resolutely affirms that it will never accept the kind of absurd democracy that some politically dissatisfied elements are promoting and embellishing. No matter what tricks they use, hostile and reactionary forces cannot “export” or impose that kind of “anarchist democracy” into Vietnam.

Multi-party system is not the salvation of democracy

As stated, democracy is the right of the people to master their own destiny, to master the society in which they live in all fields and in all activities. Democracy is closely linked to social progress and historical development through different social regimes and eras. Democracy only appears when there is a state and each democracy must be linked to a certain state, as stipulated by the laws of that state.

The democracy that people have is the result of the development process through class struggle, to liberate people. As long as there are classes in society, democracy in that society has a profound class character and must be placed within the legal framework of that society. There is no general classless democracy, no democracy outside the law... All arguments denying this issue are deceitful, with dark motives.

Democracy not only cannot be separated from the land of social reality, but also depends greatly on the economic, cultural, social foundation and intellectual level of that society. We do not deny that according to the history of social development, the birth of the bourgeois state marked a step forward in democracy compared to democracy in the feudal regime. But democracy in the capitalist regime cannot go beyond the economic foundation of the society that gave birth to it. Therefore, the entire institution of bourgeois democracy is only aimed at the highest goal of protecting the domination of the bourgeois class. The government apparatus established by the bourgeois state is aimed at opposing the ideas of freedom and democracy of the working class and working people.

Voters of Kim Lien commune, Nam Dan district cast their ballots to elect deputies to the National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2021-2026 term. Photo: Pham Bang

As a higher level of development than capitalist society, democracy in a socialist society is fundamentally different from democracy in a capitalist society. Socialist democracy takes the core criteria to affirm the nature of its state as "the people are the masters" and "the people are the masters". Accordingly, socialist democracy is expressed in the core contents: democracy of the working people, for the working people, expressed in protecting the right to life, freedom, and the right to pursue happiness of the working people; recognizing the principle of equality and freedom guaranteed by law to exercise the mastery of the people. Socialist democracy has comprehensive content, expressed in all fields of politics, economics, culture, society,... in which the most prominent is the equal and increasingly widespread participation of workers and the management of the state and society through two forms: direct democracy and representative democracy.

Looking at the nature of the two democracies, we clearly see that socialist democracy is superior. Therefore, Vietnam's choice of socialist democracy is not a matter of debate.

Fight against distorted perceptions

For Vietnam, democracy is the essence of the regime; democracy is both the goal and the driving force for national development. Democracy is not something that is immutable, but it is constantly developing according to the progress of social history. Through many policies and solutions, we strive to promote economic, cultural and social development; ensure safety, security and order; perfect the legal system... In essence, that is the process of perfecting democracy, ensuring that all state power belongs to the people. Reality shows thatpracticing democracy within the Party, in the State apparatus and socio-political organizations; as well as in all aspects and areas of life in Vietnam are getting better and better.

It would be a serious mistake to assume that only political pluralism and multi-party opposition can have “true democracy”. One thing we must affirm to each other is that democracy is not synonymous with pluralism and multi-partyism, but it depends entirely on the nature of the ruling party and the nature of the social regime. Therefore, a one-party leadership regime is not synonymous with lack of democracy or less democracy. Practice in many countries shows that having multiple parties still lacks democracy, and is still a poor, underdeveloped country. Meanwhile, many countries have only one party leadership but democracy is guaranteed; the economy, culture, and society develop; and people's lives are increasingly improved. That is strong evidence that pluralism and multi-partyism are not the salvation for democracy.

The emergence of false arguments about socialist democracy in Vietnam is due to many reasons, but can be distinguished into two main reasons: due to limited awareness, lack of understanding, unintentionally speaking wrongly, and due to clear awareness, having understanding but deliberately speaking out of line. The viewpoint of our Party and State on this issue is very clear. For those who due to limited awareness accidentally speak out of line, propaganda must be conducted to help them raise their awareness and understanding of democracy. As for those who clearly understand democracy but deliberately distort, collude with, and follow hostile forces to take advantage of democracy to sabotage the country, they must be severely punished according to the law.

Photo: Duc Anh

Our Party and State always strive to ensure and promote people's democracy, along with strengthening socialist legality, maintaining discipline and order, in the spirit of "Rule of law" and not the unlimited liberal democracy that politically dissatisfied elements promote.

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic,Election of XV National Assembly deputies and People's Council deputies at all levelsThe 2021-2026 term has been a great success. That success is of great significance, especially in bringing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress into life, including the policy of continuing to build a socialist rule-of-law state - a state of the people, by the people, for the people.

But hostile forces never give up their plots to sabotage Vietnam. One of their familiar tricks is to take advantage of democracy to distort and distract society, to divide the flesh-and-blood relationship between the Party, the State and the people; to undermine people's trust in the regime. More dangerously, hostile forces always seek to connect with degenerate and corrupt elements in the country in order to incite and entice gullible people who lack understanding of democracy to follow their arguments and tricks.

Reality requires that on the one hand, we must step up propaganda to help people raise their awareness of democracy; organize people to exercise their right to mastery in social life. On the other hand, we must attach importance to the struggle to defeat all plots and tricks to take advantage of democracy to sabotage Vietnam that hostile forces are planning to carry out.