Should a national referendum be held on a matter of local survival?

Members of Parliament argue that some issues require a referendum at the local or regional level, rather than necessarily seeking the opinion of the entire nation.

The scope of referendums as stipulated in the draft law on referendums is one of the issues that has sparked much debate among National Assembly deputies during discussions in the plenary session.

The drafting body argued that issues of national significance should be decided by the entire population when put to a referendum. However, issues of local or regional importance should be decided through public consultation. The National Assembly's Law Committee, the body responsible for reviewing the draft law, also agreed with this viewpoint.

Citing the example of whether a referendum should be held in the local area or region affected by the construction of a nuclear power plant or any other project, Representative Tran Ngoc Vinh (Hai Phong) suggested that this issue should be addressed at two levels.

Accordingly, the decision on whether or not to develop nuclear power must be made through a national referendum. Furthermore, the location of a nuclear power plant and whether it is permissible will be subject to public consultation before the competent authority makes a decision.

From that perspective, Representative Vinh supports the provision as drafted, which stipulates that a referendum should be conducted nationwide.

National Assembly representative Do Ngoc Nien (Binh Thuan)

Disagreeing with the above argument, delegate Do Ngoc Nien (Binh Thuan) emphasized that the legal nature and consequences of soliciting public opinion are completely different from those of a referendum.

Referendums are conducted according to strict procedures and regulations, and their results are decisive.

Public consultations are often conducted in a simplistic manner, sometimes involving only a single meeting where the number of attendees is not regulated to ensure a majority or a specific percentage of people choose a particular option.

The results of public consultations are not conclusive; they are for reference only, and the final decision rests with the competent authorities.

According to the delegates, this is unfair, and the direct exercise of the rights of local people is not being taken seriously. The issues raised are perhaps of vital importance and are pressing concerns in the locality and region, such as the safety of hydroelectric and irrigation dams; nuclear safety; serious environmental pollution; merging and dividing administrative units, etc.

Therefore, Mr. Nien suggested that the scope of referendums should be implemented at both the national and local levels.

Representative Nguyen Thanh Thuy also argued that, given Vietnam's unique geographical, political, economic, and social characteristics, and the people's awareness, in addition to the regulation allowing referendums to be conducted nationwide, there should be a more flexible provision allowing the National Assembly to decide, if necessary, to hold referendums in one or more provinces or centrally-administered cities on issues that directly affect the locality.

According to the delegates, such regulations are necessary, facilitating local people, avoiding waste, and ensuring efficiency when the issue only directly affects the legitimate rights and interests of the people in a specific area.

The results of the referendum in this case accurately reflect the aspirations and desires of the local people regarding state policies; at the same time, they accurately reflect the nature of referendums, ensuring that state policies originate from the people and are in line with the people's needs.

According to VOV