The newly-appointed senior officials of the ruling Communist Party in Vietnam will, in stead of conducting big changes as being expected before, continue gradual socioeconomic reforms in the coming five-year tenure, a number of world news giants reported.
BBC commented that there would be no breakthrough in the economic building process however stating that there is a positive signal from the new party leadership which includes many young members that would make it more active.
The 14 newly-elected political bureau members, including 8 members elected for the first time and 6 members of the Political Bureau from the 9th tenure, are in the age bracket of 56-66, averaging at 59.9.
It said the party’s blood-refreshing targets maintaining political and social stability inside the country.
Bui Kien Thanh, a Vietnamese-American financial analyst who also serves as a policy adviser to the government, and Carl Thayer, a professor at the Australian Defense Academy and veteran analyst of Vietnam's murky communist politics also share DPA’s view regarding the new party leaders in Vietnam.
"We can be hopeful about the reforms and stability," Thanh said, noting that Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who is likely to be nominated as Prime Minister after the meeting of the National Assembly next month, is a reform-minded leader that would affirm reform. “Dung is a man of a firm resolve. He will team up talented staff to further contribute to socio-economic development,” Thanh said.
Carl Thayer argued that the country will most likely continue on its present path of opening up the economy. “Dung is someone who's going to wreck the train,” Carl Thayer talked about the expected Prime Minister of Vietnam.
Also, the Financial Times said the second term of Secretary General Nong Duc Manh indicates a “steady as she goes” approach to economic reform. It added that sometimes the reform process was criticized for being too cautious and failing to tackle deeply rooted problems in inefficient state enterprises and state-owned commercial banks.
Besides, those news agencies said Vietnam will face numerous difficulties in efforts to fight corruption and to gain WTO membership as the weak party system contains loopholes that allow incompetent and rapacious cadres to buy high-ranking positions in the party and government leadership. Also, the desire to build up a “market economy within social orientation” ensuring the key role of state area would make it difficult for Vietnam to integrate because almost all state-run enterprises are witnessing huge losses and corruption.
Nguyen Tan Dung, a southerner with wide connections in the party, military and police, has been a deputy prime minister since 1997 and has worked closely with the incumbent Prime Minister Phan Van Khai.
Nong Duc Manh, a member of the Tay ethnic minority, was chairman of the National Assembly for a decade before rising to his post in 2001. He studied forestry engineering in the Soviet Union.
Out of 160 official members of the newly-elected Communist Party of Vietnam's Central Committee (CPVCC) with the average age of 53.5, 79 were elected for the first time. The CPVCC also elected 21 alternate members who are 43.4 years old on average. The 181 CPVCC members include 16 women and 18 ethnic minority people.
Foreign Media, New Hanoi
Vietnamese
