This remark was made by British researcher of Vietnam politics and history and member of the Communist Party of Britain (CPB), Kyril Whittaker, in a recent interview granted to Vietnam News Agency correspondent in the UK.
Kyril Whittaker said General Secretary To Lam studied at both the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and the People's Security Academy and has been actively involved in various government and security roles throughout his lifetime. To this extent, his wealth of experience and studies has prepared him well for the role of State President and now General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).
The legacy of late Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong will be taken by the Party in a similar way it did to the legacy of previous generations of leaders and theorists such as Ho Chi Minh, Le Duan and Truong Chinh, to move forward, Whittaker said as he cited the commitments made by General Secretary To Lam in his inauguration speech to “building the Vietnamese socialist rule- of-law State of the people, by the people and for the people” and “continuing implementing effective patriotic emulation movements; fighting corruption; tightening the relations between the Party and the people and promoting the parties revolutionary traditions”.
Speaking about the fight against corruption in Vietnam, Whittaker believed it will be carried out diligently and effectively under the leadership of General Secretary and State President To Lam, who is also head of the for Prevention and Control of Corruption and Negative Phenomena. He has played a major role in the recent cases where corrupt persons were discovered and given punishment.
Pointing to To Lam’s knowledge and experience in the anti-corruption campaign under the tenure of late party leader Nguyen Phu Trong as well in public security and law, Whittaker believed the new leader will be able to continue this campaign to effectively stamp out corruption at all levels while ensuring that the Party remain steadfast in its adherence to revolutionary ethics. Internationally, the researcher has seen himself how friends outside of Vietnam are impressed by the anti-corruption campaign and its effects.
Commenting on five priorities of Vietnam’s foreign policy as highlighted by General Secretary and President To Lam, Whittaker pointed out that these embody the characteristics of Trong's concept of bamboo diplomacy which promoted new win-win partnerships based on peaceful cooperation and trust whilst retaining the independence of Vietnam in its national sovereignty, defence and political ideology.
Assessing the implementation of the 13rd Party Congress’s Resolution which set a goal for Vietnam to become by 2030 a developing country with modern industry and high income per capita, the research said Vietnam is on track to meet its targets as its economy and people’s living conditions are continuously improving year upon year.
He pointed out new infrastructure being built, such as the Hanoi metro (which has recently expanded) as well as new roads and construction projects in rural areas have ensured increased connectivity not just inside the country but internationally too, making easier transportation of goods and networks and ensuring the opening up of new markets and expansion of existing markets.
He stressed, all of this, however, is done with the primary idea in mind that policy must put the people first, not economic growth. As a result, economic growth is produced because of the people's centrality in politics and economy, unlike in some other countries where economic growth is placed before the people's interest, and, in doing so, the people's living standards fall and economic growth is difficult to muster.
Whittaker said the idea of the people’s centrality can also be seen in the article on building Vietnam into a prosperous, democratic, equal and civilised country by To Lam where he emphasised to maintain firmly along the Marxist-Leninist path, ensuring that Doi Moi (renewal) is continued with the people as the centre.
According to Whittaker, the article is a good detailed summary of the road map for Vietnam in the coming years, where To Lam makes clear various challenges globally as well as nationally and encourages the Party to maintain its revolutionary traditions and continue to preserve unity while stressing the vital importance of revolutionary morality of "Continuing to intensify Party building and rectification; and resolutely and persistently fighting individualism, the degradation in ideology, ethics and lifestyle, corruption and negative phenomena in the Party”.
