Born inauspiciously while still facing internal and external enemies and raging famine, Vietnam, the first State of workers and peasants in Southeast Asia, has proven its nature as a state of the people, by the people and for the people. The State is closely attached to its people, and aims to protect and serve them.
The State has been continuously strengthened under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam through many historical periods, promoting the fight for national independence, defense and development along the path of socialism.
Building a law-governed socialist state has been fostered over 25 years of reforms and the State apparatus has gradually become complete. Its operation has been improved to meet the requirements for national industrialisation and modernisation. However, there are still several shortcomings in this work that have not met the new demands of socio-economic development and national management.
This year, we are celebrating the 67th anniversary of our Independence Day at a time when the country is exerting all its efforts to successfully realise the Resolutions of the 11th Party Congress and the 13th tenure National Assembly, especially those related to urgent issues in Party building, strengthening Party leadership in the fight against corruption and wastefulness, and reviewing the implementation of and amendments and supplements to the 1992 Constitution.
Such tasks impose new requirements for building and strengthening the law-governed socialist State of the people, by the people and for the people.
The Political Platform for the Transition to Socialism, which was developed and supplemented in 2011, states that the power of the State belongs to the people, with its foundation being an alliance between the working, peasant and intellectual classes led by the Communist Party of Vietnam. The State’s power is unified; and there is division, co-ordination and control of power between the different branches in their legislative, executive and judicial rights.
The State we are building should be capable of managing the economy and society according to its laws. It should also be a State that is supervised by and closely linked to the people; serving to fully protect their rights and legitimate interests, while listening to and respecting their opinions.
Such a state should have democratic and transparent institutions, streamlined and effective apparatuses, and strong, clean and professional staff.
To meet these requirements, one of the most urgent and important tasks is strengthening the State apparatus and legal system, in order to organise and manage the society by the laws of a socialist legal system, including amending and supplementing the 1992 Constitution in accordance with the recent resolution of the fifth Party Central Committee Conference.
In order to maintain social law and order, the State should have a monitoring mechanism based on the Constitution to prevent red tape, corruption, wastefulness, and lack of responsibility, as well as the abuse of power, infringement on people’s democratic rights, and any other activity that violates the State and people’s rights.
State administrative and judicial reforms should be enhanced in accordance with the Politburo's Resolution No.49, and any activity that violates national interests and citizen rights should be strictly punished.
Building and refining a law-governed socialist state of the people, by the people and for the people is the primary task of all levels of the political system, sectors and society.
This year’s National Day coincides with the 43th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's passing away. To commemorate him, each of us should uphold the revolutionary will, promote active learning and creative work, and contribute ideas for building a socialist state that is truly of the people, by the people and for the people and governed by laws. These are practical actions to realise beloved Uncle Ho’s sacred testament: “Each Party member, each cadre must be deeply imbued with revolutionary morality, and show industry, thrift, integrity, uprightness, total dedication to the public interest and complete selflessness. Our Party should preserve absolute purity and prove worthy of its role as the leader and very loyal servant of the people.”
