Making a farewell to 2018 with impressive achievements, we usher in 2019 and celebrate the 89^th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). However, contrary to the whole nation’s joy and optimism, the hostile forces continue to create and disseminate distortions against our Party, claiming that “the CPV pursues its own benefits only”.

They say that right at its inception, for the sake of its own benefits, the CPV sought to assume the leadership over and impose the socialist regime on our country, and that the CPV has covered for its cadres and party members to be involved in corruption and interest groups as well as to use up the country’s resources, thereby impoverishing our country and leaving the people destitute.

It is necessary to affirm that it is a malicious rumour aimed at defaming the CPV. The history proved that our people selected the path to socialism without an imposition of any political party, and that our people’s choice was the demand of the times, the combination of objective conditions and subjective factors economically and politically, domestically and internationally, and the desire of our people 89 years ago. We know that at that time and before, Vietnamese nation was under the yoke of colonialism and imperialism; Vietnamese bourgeoisie was formed but weak and inexperienced both economically and politically, thus being unable to take over the leadership over the nation.

At that time, the CPV bore the historic responsibility to be the leader of the revolution and lay the foundation for the country’s inevitable development path. To fulfil its mission, the Party had to face the brutal oppression by colonialists and imperialists; many party members bravely sacrificed their life for the future of the nation. In 1945, after the success of the August Revolution, the CPV became the ruling party of Vietnam. In 1954, under the CPV’s leadership, the people of Vietnam won the war against the French Colonialists, liberated and moved the North forward to socialism. In the Spring of 1975, our people and military defeated the US. In 1986, our Party initiated Doi Moi (national renewal), marking a historic turning point in the cause of socialist construction. For over 30 years of Doi Moi, our country has gained great achievements of historic significance which have created a new status and strength for the country. Those milestones have logically proved that national independence associated with socialism is the nation’s inevitable path, not an imposition of the CPV. History has also proved that capitalism is full of shortcomings and inequalities, which were pointed out by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc during his process of finding the way to save the nation. At that time, Vietnamese people were suffering the colonialist-feudalist rule with numerous inequalities; therefore, our people could not select the capitalism. The CPV - a truly Marxist-Leninist Party with political will, good knowledge, ethics, and experience in revolutionary struggle always strives for the benefits and happiness of the people and is completely capable of leading the people to brighter future.

Being founded, trained, and led by leader Nguyen Ai Quoc, our Party always preserves the nature of the working class and holds a pioneering, exemplary role in the society. The CPV’s goals are national independence and the people’s happiness. The Party’s benefits are also the same to those of the people and the country as affirmed by President Ho Chi Minh: “then and now, the Party has no other benefits than those of the people”. Thus, since the country was reunified, the Party has focused on leading the people across the country to build a new society - a socialist one, handle the consequences of the 30-year war, break the enemy’s besiege and sanction, gradually create the material foundation for the transitional period towards socialism, boost the socio-cultural development, strengthen defence and security, and improve the people’s living standard.

Fully aware that the old way of thinking and the shortcomings of the centralized economy and the system of budget subsidies would prevent the nation from being prosperous, at the 6^th National Party Congress (December 1986), the CPV set out the guidelines on national reform, construction and protection with proper targets, models, and methods. Under the CPV’s leadership, our people have gained impressive and comprehensive achievements over more than 30 years of Doi Moi. In 1985, our country had a small-scale agriculture-based backward economy with the GDP of only 14 bn USD; however, in 2018, our GDP was 244 bn USD, Vietnam ranked the 44^th in the world according to the nominal GDP and the 34^th according to the purchasing power parity. With the poverty rate being sharply reduced from over 60% (1986) to about 6% (2018), from the low-income status, Vietnam has become a middle-income country. Vietnam’s average income increased from 230 USD (1985) to 2,540 USD (2018). Notably, in 2018, our country had an impressive economic growth rate with the GDP reaching 7.08% while the growth model witnessed a progressive shift. Under the guidelines on developing a socialist-oriented market economy, enhancing international integration, further attracting investments, across the country, many cities, urban areas, industrial zones, air ports, sea ports, roads, and resorts have been constructed, which has made a huge change in the economic structure, population structure and face of the country. At the same time, the Party has formulated many guidelines and policies to improve the people’s life, such as the Comprehensive Strategy on growth, hunger eradication and poverty reduction, the National Target Program on new rural development in the 2010-2020 period, and recently the Resolution of the 12^th Party Central Committee’s 7^th Plenum on the reform in the wage policy, all of which have ceaselessly increased the income of the people from all walks of life and considerably changed the face of both rural and urban areas. The economic achievements and those in hunger eradication and poverty reduction, health, culture, society, defence and security have created a new image of a peaceful, stable, increasingly strong, democratic, and humane Vietnam.

The hostile forces allege that our Party is too dictatorial and undemocratic. However, it is totally wrong. The economic growth and socio-political stability have provided the basis for our Party and State to improve the people’s life and exercise and promote democracy. Economically, the CPV advocates developing the socialist-oriented market economy with various forms of ownership, economic sectors, and forms of business and distribution. All economic sectors under the law are important components of the economy, equal before the law, cooperate and compete with one another in a healthy way. Institutionalizing the Party’s guidelines, our State promulgated the Constitution and many laws to create the legal corridor for the operation of the economy and production and business, such as the Investment Law, the Bidding Law, the Business Law, the Land Law, the Bankruptcy Law, etc. According to those laws, all people have the rights to freedom of business, mastery over production, and property ownership; they have the right to directly involve in socio-economic development policies and manage and supervise economic operations of the state apparatus and enterprises.

Besides, the political democracy, particularly within the CPV has made progress. Our Party has been carrying out the reform within itself, renewed its leadership, held multi-candidate elections, and issued the inquiry regulations within the CPV. The participation of party organizations and members in setting out and executing the Party’s guidelines and policies has been increasingly effective. It should be noted that the vote of confidence for members of the Politburo, the Secretariat and the 12^th Party Central Committee as well as candidates of the Party Central Committee (2021-2026 tenure) is an advance of democracy within the Party and positively impacts on the promoted democracy within the entire society. Culturally and socially, the State of Vietnam guarantees human rights, such as the freedoms of information, speech, press, religion and belief, creativity, the rights to giving opinions about building the Party and authorities as well as discussing and voting on major issues related to cultural life building in residential areas. To create a legal corridor for encouraging democracy in these fields, the State released the laws, such as Press Law, Publication Law, Intellectual Property Law, Social Insurance Law, Ordinance on preferential treatment given to revolutionary contributors, etc. Accordingly, those have helped promote the people’s right to mastery during cultural-spiritual and social operations and facilitate their enjoyment of fruits of national culture and quintessence of culture around the world.

During its leadership, our Party has been fully aware of the risk of corrupt power, particularly the corruption by several cadres and party members who were called “internal invaders” by Uncle Ho. Thus, right after taking power and during its process of building socialism, our Party strictly settled corruption cases. At present, to effectively deal with corruption, factionalism, and “group interests” by a number of cadres and party members, the Party has adopted effective measures. Advocating that there is no “restricted area” for the fight against corruption, the Party has stepped up the work of corruption prevention and combat and gained the encouraging results. Between 2014 and 2018, party committees and inspection commissions at all levels took disciplinary actions against over 840 party organizations and 58,120 party members, including nearly 2,720 party members who had committed acts of corruption and wrongdoings. Competent offices prosecuted 968 corruption cases with 2.297 defendants.

Those results have proved the argument “the CPV pursues its own benefits only” absolutely wrong. Taking the people as the centre of the country’s development process, the Party has formulated the guidelines and educated its cadres and party members to direct all operations towards the country’s raised status and the people’s improved life and happiness. Therefore, the CPV has always been loved, trusted, and considered as their party by the people, which has convincingly refuted all hostile arguments and distortions to undermine the Party’s role in our society.

Vinh Hien - Cao Van Trung