Strengthening confidence
(Baonghean)The East Sea is the most frequently mentioned term these days. The hearts of millions of Vietnamese people continue to turn towards the East Sea, with Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, the frontline islands of our homeland. To help readers follow the situation and developments regarding the East Sea issue, Nghe An Newspaper is launching a special section titled "Protecting the Sovereignty of the Fatherland's Seas and Islands"...
The consequences left by the extremists after the recent protests are extremely severe. Many businesses in Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces are still unable to resume normal production and operations. Some companies and factories will need at least six months to a year to restart operations. This has resulted in tens or hundreds of thousands of workers losing their jobs. The lives of these workers, already difficult, have become even more challenging. But even more dangerous is that the unexpected and unusual events have instilled fear and apprehension in foreign investors regarding the safety and security of their assets and production and business activities. If we do not build and strengthen their trust, they will certainly leave someday. At that time, the damage will come from many aspects, both tangible and intangible, and will be immeasurable.
President Truong Tan Sang, while visiting businesses affected by the recent protests in Binh Duong province, stated, "If foreign investors fail, Vietnam fails; if foreign investors succeed, Vietnam succeeds." Therefore, the immediate priority is to, alongside commitments to strictly and appropriately punish those who caused the unrest and ensure the safety of investors' assets, and to provide appropriate and necessary support policies to help businesses overcome the situation, we must have concrete programs, actions, and measures to restore the confidence of foreign investors.
First and foremost, we must agree that any damage or loss of assets in foreign investors' businesses, regardless of the reason, is our fault. They trusted us and invested capital in our country, and our failure to ensure the safety of their assets is our fault. Since we are at fault, we must acknowledge it and rectify it. We have acknowledged our fault. The remaining issue is how to rectify it in a way that earns their trust and confidence, encouraging them to cooperate and do business long-term in our country, benefiting both them and our people. As our people often say, "a hundred acts of kindness are worth more than money." Damage and loss of assets are losses of their money. The best and most effective approach is to accurately and fully quantify these damages and losses, then discuss and negotiate with them to develop appropriate support policies and plans, essentially compensating them for the losses caused by our own people. This needs to be done immediately and quickly. The sooner their companies and factories recover production and business, the sooner our workers will have jobs and income. Helping them is also helping our own people. The financial resources to solve this problem will, of course, come from the budgets of the localities and from central government assistance. The form and methods of assistance will be the responsibility of the relevant authorities and specialized agencies.
On the other hand, we also need to consider a measure we often use: mobilizing the collective efforts of the entire community. This is similar to what we often do during fundraising campaigns to support people in disaster-stricken areas in overcoming difficulties and losses. Even if these losses are man-made, it is still very worthwhile to do so for several reasons: Firstly, as mentioned above, joining hands to support foreign investors in quickly stabilizing and restoring production helps hundreds of thousands of our workers regain their jobs and quickly stabilize their lives. Secondly, the involvement of the entire community will reduce the burden on the state budget, freeing up resources for other urgent and important matters such as protecting national sovereignty over the sea and islands. Thirdly, it demonstrates the solidarity and mutual support of society towards the workforce.
And finally, and most importantly, this demonstrates concern, support, empathy, and shared understanding for the losses and damages suffered by foreign investors during the recent incident. These gestures and actions can also be seen as an apology and a way for Vietnamese people to rectify their mistakes. Certainly, this will make investors feel greatly encouraged and motivated by the Vietnamese people to overcome difficulties, making them feel both touched and reassured, encouraging them to stay and invest more capital in our country for the long term. It serves as strong backing for the government's commitments. It is also a way to restore the image of Vietnamese people in the eyes of investors and international friends, an image that has been somewhat tarnished by the recent events.
Therefore, it is highly advisable to launch a widespread movement throughout society to support struggling workers and other action programs as a way to collectively correct the mistakes.
Duy Huong
