VIETNAMESE GRASSROOTS COMMUNISM - AMBASSADOR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HO CHI MINH CITY 000471 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL VM BTA DPOL SUBJECT: VIETNAMESE GRASSROOTS COMMUNISM - AMBASSADOR MEETS HCMC PARTY SECRETARY ¶1. SUMMARY: IN A CORDIAL FIRST MEETING, AMBASSADOR BURGHARDT AND HCMC COMMUNIST PARTY SECRETARY NGUYEN MINH TRIET DISCUSSED THE ROLE OF THE VIETNAMESE COMMUNIST PARTY, CORRUPTION, INVESTMENT AND THE BTA, AND THE DIRECTION OF THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP. TRIET STRESSED THE GRASSROOTS NATURE OF VIETNAMESE COMMUNISM. BESIDES SERVING AS THE HCMC PARTY CHIEF, TRIET IS THE FOURTH-RANKING MEMBER OF VIETNAM'S CENTRAL COMMUNIST UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HO CHI 00471 01 OF 02 061031Z PARTY POLITBURO. END SUMMARY. GRASSROOTS DECISION MAKING -------------- ¶2. HCMC COMMUNIST PARTY SECRETARY NGUYEN MINH TRIET WELCOMED AMBASSADOR BURGHARDT (ACCOMPANIED BY CG, DPO, AND CONOFFS/NOTETAKERS) TO HCMC PARTY HEADQUARTERS, LOCATED IN THE FORMER U.S. DCM'S RESIDENCE. OPENING THE DISCUSSION, THE AMBASSADOR NOTED THAT HE KNOWS TRIET LIKES TO SPEAK FRANKLY ON BIG ISSUES, AND ASKED TRIET TO DISCUSS THE ROLE OF THE VIETNAMESE COMMUNIST PARTY (CPV) VIS-A-VIS THAT OF THE GOVERNMENT. TRIET STATED THREE IMPORTANT ROLES FOR THE CENTRAL PARTY COMMITTEE: TO PLAN PROVINCIAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, MONITOR THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY IMPLEMENTATION, AND ENSURE THE CPV FUNCTIONS ACCORDING TO ITS OWN RULES. HE NOTED SIMILARITIES WITH THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY STRUCTURE, BUT EMPHASIZED THE ROLE OF LOCAL LEADERSHIP AS A KEY PART OF CPV DECISION MAKING IN VIETNAM. THE PARTY COMMITTEE PLANS OVERALL POLICIES FOR THE PROVINCES AND LOCALITIES, BUT LOCAL DECISIONS ARE BASED ON GRASSROOTS OPINION. THE PARTY COMMITTEE RESPONDS TO LOCAL CONCERNS AND WILL INSPECT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE IF PEOPLE ARE NOT HAPPY WITH ITS DECISIONS. THE PARTY COMMITTEE MONITORS MEMBERS' ACTIVITIES TO ENSURE ADHERENCE TO CPV TENETS, AND THE CPV PUNISHES CORRUPTION AND BRIBERY IN THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT. ¶3. THE AMBASSADOR ASKED TRIET ABOUT CORRUPTION IN VIETNAM. HE SUGGESTED THAT ASIAN COUNTRIES HAVE FOUND UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HO CHI 00471 01 OF 02 061031Z THAT THE WAY TO BEGIN TO COMBAT CORRUPTION IS BY PAYING GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS DECENT SALARIES AND ENSURING CLEAR PUNISHMENT FOR VIOLATIONS. THE HARD PART IS EXPOSING CORRUPTION. IN THE U.S., A FREE PRESS AND INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATIONS ACT AS WATCHDOGS, BUT IN A HIGHLY REGULATED SOCIETY, THERE ARE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CORRUPTION. ¶4. TRIET ACKNOWLEDGED CORRUPTION IN VIETNAM AND CITED LOW SALARIES AS ONE REASON. STILL THERE WAS A LIMIT AS TO HOW FAR THE GOVERNMENT COULD GO IN RAISING GOVERNMENT SALARIES, AS THERE WOULD BE NOTHING LEFT FOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AND STIMULATING THE ECONOMY. HE DESCRIBED THE GRASSROOTS ROLE OF THE CPV, AS WELL AS ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE FATHERLAND FRONT, IN PROTECTING CITIZENS' RIGHTS AND FIGHTING CORRUPTION. THE CPV SENDS OUT "EVALUATION FORMS" FOR NEIGHBORHOODS TO COMMENT ON THEIR LOCAL PARTY LEADERS - EVEN A PARTY LEADER'S SPOUSE AND CHILDREN ARE FAIR GAME. ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE FATHERLAND FRONT MEET WITH NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS ON THE UPCOMING NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS TO LISTEN TO THEIR CRITICISMS AND CONCERNS. IN HIS ONLY HISTORICAL ASIDE, TRIET NOTED THAT VIETNAM LACKS EXPERIENCE IN GOOD GOVERNANCE "DUE TO THE LONG WAR," BUT ADDED THE COUNTRY WANTS TO LEARN GOOD GOVERNANCE TACTICS FROM THE WEST. BTA - A STRONG ECONOMIC CONNECTION WILL HELP THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP -------------- --- UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 HO CHI 00471 01 OF 02 061031Z ¶5. TURNING TO THE BILATERAL TRADE AGREEMENT (BTA),THE AMBASSADOR EMPHASIZED BTA IMPLEMENTATION AS ONE OF HIS PRIORITIES. HE NOTED THAT AMERICAN COMPANIES IN CHINA PLAYED AN ADVOCACY ROLE FOR CONGRESSIONAL LEGISLATION TO BENEFIT THEIR BUSINESSES. BY COMPARISON, THERE ARE FEW U.S. COMPANIES IN VIETNAM WHO WOULD TRY TO INFLUENCE CONGRESSIONAL LEGISLATION REGARDING VIETNAM. ¶6. TRIET NOTED THAT CHINA HAD BEEN INDEPENDENT LONGER, SO ITS ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP WITH THE U.S. WAS NATURALLY MORE MATURE. HE SAID A STRONG ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP WITH THE U.S., LED BY THE BTA, WILL PAVE THE WAY FOR VIETNAM'S ENTRY INTO THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION. HOWEVER, WITH THE "NEGATIVE REACTION" OF SOME OVERSEAS VIETNAMESE TO THE BTA, THE U.S. HAS A "RESPONSIBILITY AND DUTY" TO EXPLAIN THE NEW BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP TO THEM, AND TO CURB THEIR "COUNTER- REVOLUTIONARY ACTIVITIES". THE AMBASSADOR EMPHASIZED DEVELOPMENT OF THE DOMESTIC PRIVATE SECTOR AS THE BEST WAY TO ATTRACT FDI. TRIET ADDED THAT THE PARTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE HAD PLANNED FOR YEARS TO DEVELOP THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND HAD CONFIRMED THE POLITICAL CORRECTNESS OF HCMC'S RAPID PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT. ROOM FOR GROWTH IN THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP -------------- ¶7. THE AMBASSADOR MENTIONED THAT MUCH WORK REMAINED TO BE DONE IN THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP, WHICH WAS STILL NOT TOTALLY NORMALIZED IN MANY RESPECTS. DISTRUST STILL EXISTS ON BOTH SIDES, HAMPERING COORDINATION UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HO CHI 00471 02 OF 02 061031Z BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND IMPROVEMENT IN THE MILITARY-TO-MILITARY RELATIONSHIP. TRIET AGREED THAT THERE WERE MANY POSITIVE ASPECTS TO THE RELATIONSHIP, BUT THE HISTORICAL LEGACY REMAINED AN OBSTACLE. ¶8. THE AMBASSADOR AND TRIET AGREED TO MEET AGAIN FOR A FRANK AND CANDID DISCUSSION, WITH TRIET CALLING THE AMBASSADOR A "BRIDGE BETWEEN THE U.S. AND VIETNAM." ¶9. COMMENT: TRIET IS A MODERN POLITBURO MEMBER WHO BELIEVES IN TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE IMPORTANCE OF VIETNAM'S ECONOMIC INTEGRATION INTO THE WORLD MARKET. WIDELY BELIEVED TO BE A FRONTRUNNER FOR VIETNAM'S NEXT PRIME MINISTER, HIS EMPHASIS ON THE GRASSROOTS NATURE OF THE CPV'S DECISION-MAKING PROCESS APPEARED TO BE AN ATTEMPT TO CAST THE CPV AS A DEMOCRATIC BODY RATHER THAN AS THE UNYIELDING, OPAQUE STRUCTURE THAT IT IS. END COMMENT. YAMAUCHI UNCLASSIFIED >