297. INDEPENDENCE
An Incomplete Independence
Hello friends, the Vietnamese
communist party proclaims that the independence of Vietnam has been
absolutely established after the fall of South Vietnam in 1975.
Personally, I see that Vietnam is only independent on its territory but
the political ideology of Vietnam is still depended on other communist
countries. Today, I would like to argue about the effect of political
ideology in the social organizations of Vietnam, so that we can
correlate the incomplete independency of Vietnam in term of the
political ideology. I hope that we shall look at the above proclamation
in different angles after this argument.
Independence is clearly
defined “Independence is the self-government of a nation, country, or
state by its residents and population, or some portion thereof,
generally is exercising sovereignty.” In the light of this definition,
the independence of a nation not only has sovereignty of territory but
also has self-control on the governance of society in the territory. If
one of these conditions is not fully satisfied then the independence
of the nation is considered incomplete. Obviously, Vietnam has
sovereignty of territory, but the political ideology of Vietnam is
built on the fundamental of communism which is derived by other
countries. So the society of Vietnam is built in the way of communism
or other countries looking at the world, because “The political
ideology is a certain ethical set of ideals, principles, doctrines,
myths or symbols of a social movement, institution, class or large
group that explains how society should work, and offers some political
and cultural blueprint for a certain social order.” With the communist
political ideology, the society of Vietnam and many other communist
countries in the world are organized and structuralized by the same
blueprint for social order. Historically, all communists in the world
were easily united to found a Communist International organization in
Moscow in March of 1919, because they had a common idea of leading the
social and political order in term of communism. The idea of the
communist international was that overthrew capitalism and implemented an
International Soviet republic in the world. The Communist
International was dissolved in May 15th of 1943 because Stalin would
like to avoid World War II Allies suspecting the Soviet Union was
masterminding to overthrow capitalism in other countries. Stalin also
believed that the members of the Communist International were well
trained to perform the idea of the Communist International in their own
countries without the existence of the international communist
organization. In fact, president Ho Chi Minh, a member of the Communist
International, and his fellows were deeply influenced by the idea of
the Communist International was that overthrew capitalism and
implemented an International Soviet republic in Vietnam. By
implementing the idea of the Communist International, the society of
Vietnam would become a social subset belonging to a larger social set
of the communist community, where Soviet Union was a leader having a
lot of influence on it at that time. Therefore, a change in the
political ideology in the communist community or in Soviet Union shall
influence a change of the ideals, principles, doctrines to build the
society of Vietnam. Inferring that the government of Vietnam is not a
self-government created by its residents and population but the
government of Vietnam is imposed by communist community or Soviet Union
through its political ideology. In the other word, the independence of
Vietnam is an incomplete independence because it does not have
self-control on the govermence of its society.
Family, education,
religion, economy and government are typically social organizations in
most society in the world. The social organizations are supplemented
each other in term of social development. Family is the basic social
unit to provide workforce for economy. Education is a social
organization used to train skill for the workforce to enhance the
economy. Government is a social organization to rule a country by
making law, issuing administrative decisions, and so forth. Education
is funded to operate by the government, and in the meanwhile the fund
of operating the government is depended on the health of the economy
through taxes and bond. Religion is a social organization to guide
social ethics in the right way so that people in the society can live
moral. In this way, the religion not only promotes the social ethics of
the workforce for the economy but also provides ethical government
officials to regulate the society. So, all five major social
organizations are depended on each other to develop the society.
Political parties have appeared in society to regulate and rule the
social organizations. Each political party has its own political
ideology to explain the fundamental of its own actions and programs
applying on the society. The Vietnamese communist party has been in
charge of governing the society of Vietnam, and so the fundamental of
communism is a guideline used to organize and regulate all social
organizations in Vietnam. Therefore, the society of Vietnam is depended
on other communist countries in term of organization and regulation
because the communism is also implemented in other communist countries.
a) Family is basic element to play an important role for the foundation
of society, and so building family is also the same meaning to lay the
foundation of the society. The communist party decides that the
children in the society must be raised in the spirit of communism and
so their thoughts can be set by the political ideology of the
communism. The children shall be the main force to lead the society in
the trend of communism when they grow up, and they shall raise their
children as they are raised. The entire society shall be dictatorship
of proletarian after a few generations. To implement this advocate, the
communist parties in worldwide has created a communist icon of
patriotism and heroism to guide children’s mentality. Lenin and Stalin
are the communist icons of patriotism and heroism in Soviet Union.
Other communist countries have also followed this strategy to create
the communist icon of patriotism and heroism for their own. President
Ho Chi Minh, Fidel Castro, Mao Zedong, and Kim II-Sung are the
communist icons of patriotism and heroism in Vietnam, Cuba, China, and
North Korea, respectively. Beside that, the communist governments have
also created the young communist icons of patriotism and heroism to lure
the children’s mentality. The children shall look at these communist
icons as growth models, and they shall become loyal to the communism or
the communist regime when they grow up. Vietnam is the communist
country followed this strategy through the communist icons such as
president Ho Chi Minh and other communist heroes; Therefore, we can say
that the family organization of the society of Vietnam is not
independent in Vietnamese people’s will but it is a pattern created and
imposed by Soviet Union or communist community, inferring that Vietnam
is subject to other communist countries in the family organization.
b) Education system is a social organization used to train well being
workforce for the society. The communists have taken this opportunity
to create a new educated class trending toward the communism. In this
way, this new educated class shall become the main workforce to
establish power in ruling the society in the trend of communism. The
main purpose of the education system in communist countries is to
educate and train students to become instruments to serve the communist
regime. With this advocate, the education system of the communist
government not only teaches Marxist-Leninist and the dialectical
materialism in school to guide student’s ideology, but also organize
Communist Youth League in school to manage student’s activities. In
this way, the students have a habit to be ruled and so they shall not
complain or protest to be ruled when they are out of school to
participate into the workforce in the society. The Education curriculum
is designed to concentrate on the communist ideology and theory and so
many subjects such as politics, sociology, economic, biology and so
forth are explained how they works in the term of Marxist-Leninist and
the dialectical materialism, respectively. Books and publications which
have different ideology other than the communist ideology are
prohibited to read or possess by law. Especially, history is rewritten
and distorted facts to maximize the leading role of communists in
librating people and to minimize the role of noncommunist events that
could affect the communist ideology, theory, and reputation. The
education system is organized and regulated by a common pattern in all
communist countries in the world. Vietnam’s education system is also
theorized and organized in the manner of this advocate. Therefore, we
can say that the education organization of Vietnam is not independent
in Vietnamese people’s will but it is a pattern created and imposed by
Soviet Union or communist community, inferring that Vietnam is not
independent on the decision of its own education system.
c)
Religion is a social organization that people have common faith to
gather together to practice their pray and ritual. Normally, there are
many religions in a country and the population of each religion is
quite numerous. Religious faith deeply affect on people’s behavior and
thoughts about the concept of society and human. In fact, religions
have held a very important position in the society. In the view of
communism, religion is considered as a political organization and the
religious faith is considered as an ideology. In addition, communist
party always wants to impose its unique political ideology to control
and perform the social development. With these thoughts, religions are
considered as political rivals in the view of the communist party and it
does not allow these ideologies to coexist in the society. So it is
not surprised that communist party usually wants to prevent the
expansion of religions and to oppress the religious practices. The
prevention of religious expansion and the practices of religions are
managed tightly in the same pattern in all communist countries in the
world, and Vietnam is not an exceptional about that. Particular
examples happening in Vietnam is that the communist government of
Vietnam takes the lands of Buddhist Temples and Catholic Church, etc
and oppresses all religions in Vietnam in many different forms as you
known. Therefore, we can say that policy towards religion in Vietnam is
not self controlled in Vietnamese people’s will but it is a pattern
created and imposed by Soviet Union or communist community through
political ideology, inferring that Vietnam is not independent in term
of policy towards religion.
d) Planned economy is an economic
system in which all business enterprises are controlled and directed by
government. Most communist countries in the world have implemented the
planned economic system since the proletarian revolution succeeded. In
the planned economy, the leadership of the communist countries makes
all decisions to control and regulate the production, distribution,
exchanges, and consumptions of goods and services within their own
countries and within the communist community. The planned economy is
collapsed in the communist world because the communist government’s
decision on the supply of goods and services does not meet the demand
of the market or vice versa. The communist government had realized that
they needed to move the planned economic system to the market-based
economic system in 80’s and 90’s. The market economy is an economic
system in which all business enterprises are controlled and regulated
by private owners. On the contrary to the planned economy, the private
owners of the business enterprises decide make all decisions on what
kind of goods and services needed to produce, on how the distribution
of goods and services should be, and what price the customer should pay
for the goods and services. All business decisions are depended on the
demand and supply of the market, meaning that the goods and services
are depended on the customer’s interest. As a follower of the communist
community, Vietnam’s economic system had implemented the planned
economic system since the Vietnamese communist in power of ruling
Vietnam, and then communist government of Vietnam has moved the planned
economy to the market economy since 80’s because the communist
community decides to change the economic system. Therefore, we can say
that Vietnam’s economic system is not self-controlled in Vietnamese
people’s will but it is depended on the policy of the communist
community that Soviet Union and China are dominants, inferring that
Vietnam is not independent in term of policy towards its own economy.
e) Communist governments in the world are almost organized in a similar
structure which consists of politburo, national assembly, etc.
Marxist-Leninist and Maoist is the primary political ideology used as a
guideline to explain the operation and regulation of the communist
governments. Many policies are derived on the fundamental of
Marxist-Leninist, Maoist, and a derivative thereof. The communist
ideology and the similar structures of the communist states have
created big similar social movements in the communist countries in the
world. Stalin executed the Great Purge in Soviet Union to remove his
political oppositions from his power in 1930. Mao Zedong executed the
Land Reform in China to remove the power of traditional village elite
from 1946 to 1953. As the follower of the communist community, the
communist leadership of Vietnam executed the Land Reform from 1953 to
1956. The Land Reform in Vietnam not only removed the power of the
traditional elite and the rich, but also purged many village-level
opposite communist party members by claiming that they were landlords.
Hundreds of thousands of people were killed in the Land Reform in
Vietnam. So the main purpose of the Land Reform in Vietnam was to purge
the opposite people in the society, and so the communist party of
Vietnam could be easier to control the society in the spirit of
communism. Another big social movement happened in China in 1955-1956
was Hundred Flowers Campaign that Chinese communist government
encouraged scholars and intellectuals to raise their views of ongoing
social problem with a slogan “Let a hundred flowers bloom, let the
hundred schools of thought contend.” This social movement was a
political trap to lure intellectual dissidents with Maoist and communism
appearing in public. So Mao Zedong could arrest all of them to kill or
imprison to clean up the opposition in the society. As the follower of
Chinese communist party, the communist leadership of Vietnam had
launched a similar campaign in 1958 called “Nhan-Van and Giai-Pham
affair.” The communist party of Vietnam encouraged intellectuals to
express their opinion about the freedom and democracy of Vietnam. With
this encouragement, Nhan-Van newspaper and Giai-Pham periodical were
two newspapers formed to reflect views against the North Vietnamese
Government. The two newspapers were led by a groups of intellectuals
who denounced the communist party leaders had violated freedom and
democracy. They also demanded the communist government must respect the
constitutions to stop violating freedom and democracy. This campaign
was a political trap that the Vietnamese communist party leaders lured
all political dissidents appearing in public, after that, the
Vietnamese communist party leaders arrested the political dissidents to
execute or sent them to re-education camp. Beside the big social
movements, the communist government of Vietnam is also responsible to
make policies implicitly or explicitly to oppress and inhibit the other
social organization such as family, education, religion, economy
(argued above) in order to establish the International Soviet Republic
or the communist community in Vietnam. With the above argued
discussion, we can say that the communist government of Vietnam is not a
self-control government in Vietnamese people’s will but it is a
government imposed by the communist community, inferring that Vietnam’s
independence is incomplete independence.
Every social
organization of Vietnam is depended on the operation and regulation of
the communist community in which Soviet Union and China have a lot of
control and influence. Obviously, a change in the society of Soviet
Union or China makes a significant change in the society of Vietnam
accordingly. Soviet Union and China do not need to invade Vietnam by
using the power of military. They just use the political ideology of
communism to invade into the thoughts of a number of people, and use
these people as instruments to implement their interests and control in
Vietnam.
People’s Republic of China has proclaimed to build a
local government on Hoang Sa and Truong Sa islands which are belongs to
the territory of Vietnam. The perverse behavior of China has created a
social movement of Vietnamese people in the world through
demonstrations against China. In the meanwhile, the communist
government of Vietnam has kept silence or raised a weak voice, and even
thought oppressed these demonstrations. The reactions of the Vietnamese
communist government have indicated the weakness and coward to
confront with China. The weakness and coward is not because Vietnam
does not have a strong military or a strong economy, but because the
mentality and
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