2006 MANIFESTO
ON FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY FOR VIETNAM
Of 118 Peaceful Democratic Fighters Inside Vietnam
ON FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY FOR VIETNAM
Of 118 Peaceful Democratic Fighters Inside Vietnam
Vietnam 8 April 2006
We, the undersigned, representing Peaceful Democratic Fighters both from within Vietnam and expatriats abroad, hereby unanimously proclaim the following: The Current Realities of Vietnam
In the August 1945 Revolution, the choice of the Vietnamese people was for national independence and not socialism. Vietnam’s Declaration of Independence on 2 September 1945 neither contained mention of socialism nor communism. The catalyst behind the success of that Revolution were the Vietnamese people’s desire for national independence. It is clear that the Vietnamese communists have failed to meet their obligation set forth by the people. They have failed to provide the Vietnamese people with the right of self-determination. There have been instances in 1954 and 1975 in which the Vietnamese nation was provided the chance to determine its own fate. On both occasions, however, the opportunity was mishandled by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). On 2 September 1945 in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, President of the Interim Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, solemnly declared to the [Vietnamese] nation and the world that : “All men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, among them the Right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. These memorable words were taken from the U.S. Declaration of Independence of 1776. Also invoked in the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence were the words from the French Revolution’s Declaration on Human and Civil Rights of 1791. It proclaimed: “All people are born free and have equal rights, and they must remain free and equal in all rights.” Despite these benevolent proclamations, the rights of the Vietnamese people have been brutally trampled upon by the communist government since its inception. By February 1951, the Manifesto of the Vietnam Workers Party (VWP, now rechristened the CPV) at its Second Party Congress proclaimed: “The ideology of the VWP is Marxism-Leninism.” This was something that was even more clearly detailed in the Party Bylaws, under the rubric of “Goal and Leading Principles”: “The Vietnam Workers Party takes the ideology of Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin and the thought of Mao Zedong in combination with the revolutionary realities of Vietnam to be its ideological foundation and compass for all Party activities.” Since then, the specter of Communism has been used to systematically repress the human rights of the Vietnamese people. To this day, it still exerts its omnipresent influence on both the spiritual and material development of the Vietnam. Universal Laws Affecting Our Whole Globe
History has demonstrated that under every totalitarian regime, whether communist or non-communist, all democratic rights and freedoms are mercilessly repressed. Unfortunately, Vietnam remains under the thumb of such a regime. This doctrine is explicitly detailed in Article 4 of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) Constitution, which says: “The CPV… follows Marxism-Leninism and the thought of Ho Chi Minh, and it is the leading force of the state and society.” It is under the auspices of this article that all democratic rights and freedoms of the Vietnamese people have been suppressed. It is a sad truth that those in power often unwillingly yield control. It is this peaceful transfer of power that marks democracy’s greatest strength and Vietnam’s greatest weakness. Because there is no such thing as fair play in the political arena of Vietnam, the most deserving individuals and political parties consistently are unable to be elected by the people. For that reason, the leadership, management and operational setup becomes increasingly corrupt and unmanageable. As a result, Vietnam is now lagging politically and economically compared to nations of the world. The root of the problem resides in the fact that the oppressive lead of the CPV is the sole voice guiding Vietnam. The realities of history have shown that any country, once it has fallen into the orbit of communism, ends up in ruin and misery. The Soviet Union, the very cradle of communism, has long since seen the error of their ways and has taken the long path to democracy and the true voice of the people. We all understand that no one can remake history but it is possible to redirect its course. What is even more important is that through history’s lessons, one can find the correct orientation for the future. That is why today, we must choose once again a new path for Vietnam. But this time it will be a choice made by a nation and not a chosen few. As such, a government such as the CPV, which has never won a single free election, should not claim to speak on behalf of the entire nation. On the basis of the above realities and said universal laws, fully conscious of our responsibilities as citizens in confronting the nation’s fate, we would like to describe as follows to our Compatriots both inside and outside of Vietnam: Objective, Methods and Significance of Our Struggle
The highest objective of our struggle for freedom and democracy for Vietnam is to ensure that the present political regime in Vietnam be fundamentally changed. Concretely speaking, it must be a change from the monistic, one-party, non-competitive regime that we have at the present time to a pluralistic and multiparty system. We must cultivate a healthy competition of thoughts and ideas and ensure a clear separation of powers between the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches of government. A higher objective is to reestablish the following fundamental rights of the people: The Freedom of Information and Opinion as defined in the United Nations’ International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified on 16 December 1966, and adhered to by Vietnam on 24 September 1982, Article 19.2: “Everyone shall have the right to freedom of opinion; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.” i.e. political parties, organizations and individuals have the freedom to express their opinion through the printed media, radio, television or any other mass media sans approval by the government. The Freedom of to Assemble, form Associations, Political Parties, Vote and Stand for Elected Offices as defined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 25: “Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity (a) to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives; (b) to vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors.” i.e. political parties of every hue and tendency are allowed to fairly compete in a genuine pluralistic and multiparty democracy. The Freedom to participate in Independent Labor Unions and the Right to Legitimate Strikes in accordance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ratified by the United Nations on 16 December 1966, Articles 7 and 8: “The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of just and favorable conditions of work…, the right of everyone to form trade unions and join the trade union of his choice, subjects only to the rules of the organization concerned, for the promotion and protection of his economic and social interests…[including] the right to strike…” i.e. labor unions must be independently active, without government control. The Freedom of Religion as defined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 18: “Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or adopt a Religion or Belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.” i.e. religions must be allowed to operate independently, without government intervention. We encourage all to join in this peaceful and non-violent struggle. We are also extremely thankful for the help and support from all our friends worldwide. Using modern media and through our ever larger international exchanges, we will continue to disseminate our most powerful weapons, knowledge and information, to the world. We hope that this Manifesto would foster the positive contributions of our compatriots living outside of Vietnam and the support of our international friends. We are sincerely grateful and call on the various United Nations organs, the various national parliaments, the various Governments, international organizations and our friends all over the world.Unanimously declared in Viet Nam on April 8, 2006 and on August 8, 2006
Interim Representatives
of the 118 Peaceful Democratic Fighters on 8 April 2006
and of the 1,839 Domestic Peaceful Democratic Fighters
& 2,021 Overseas Peaceful Democratic Fighterson on 8 Aug 2006
and of many tens of thousands of Members of Viet Nam
& Overseas Vietnameses of the Bloc 8406:
Đỗ Nam Hải, Engineer, Sài Gòn.
Trần Anh Kim, Former Military Officer, Thái Bình.
Nguyễn Văn Lý, Catholic Priest, Huế.
In the August 1945 Revolution, the choice of the Vietnamese people was for national independence and not socialism. Vietnam’s Declaration of Independence on 2 September 1945 neither contained mention of socialism nor communism. The catalyst behind the success of that Revolution were the Vietnamese people’s desire for national independence. It is clear that the Vietnamese communists have failed to meet their obligation set forth by the people. They have failed to provide the Vietnamese people with the right of self-determination. There have been instances in 1954 and 1975 in which the Vietnamese nation was provided the chance to determine its own fate. On both occasions, however, the opportunity was mishandled by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). On 2 September 1945 in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, President of the Interim Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, solemnly declared to the [Vietnamese] nation and the world that : “All men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, among them the Right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. These memorable words were taken from the U.S. Declaration of Independence of 1776. Also invoked in the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence were the words from the French Revolution’s Declaration on Human and Civil Rights of 1791. It proclaimed: “All people are born free and have equal rights, and they must remain free and equal in all rights.” Despite these benevolent proclamations, the rights of the Vietnamese people have been brutally trampled upon by the communist government since its inception. By February 1951, the Manifesto of the Vietnam Workers Party (VWP, now rechristened the CPV) at its Second Party Congress proclaimed: “The ideology of the VWP is Marxism-Leninism.” This was something that was even more clearly detailed in the Party Bylaws, under the rubric of “Goal and Leading Principles”: “The Vietnam Workers Party takes the ideology of Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin and the thought of Mao Zedong in combination with the revolutionary realities of Vietnam to be its ideological foundation and compass for all Party activities.” Since then, the specter of Communism has been used to systematically repress the human rights of the Vietnamese people. To this day, it still exerts its omnipresent influence on both the spiritual and material development of the Vietnam. Universal Laws Affecting Our Whole Globe
History has demonstrated that under every totalitarian regime, whether communist or non-communist, all democratic rights and freedoms are mercilessly repressed. Unfortunately, Vietnam remains under the thumb of such a regime. This doctrine is explicitly detailed in Article 4 of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) Constitution, which says: “The CPV… follows Marxism-Leninism and the thought of Ho Chi Minh, and it is the leading force of the state and society.” It is under the auspices of this article that all democratic rights and freedoms of the Vietnamese people have been suppressed. It is a sad truth that those in power often unwillingly yield control. It is this peaceful transfer of power that marks democracy’s greatest strength and Vietnam’s greatest weakness. Because there is no such thing as fair play in the political arena of Vietnam, the most deserving individuals and political parties consistently are unable to be elected by the people. For that reason, the leadership, management and operational setup becomes increasingly corrupt and unmanageable. As a result, Vietnam is now lagging politically and economically compared to nations of the world. The root of the problem resides in the fact that the oppressive lead of the CPV is the sole voice guiding Vietnam. The realities of history have shown that any country, once it has fallen into the orbit of communism, ends up in ruin and misery. The Soviet Union, the very cradle of communism, has long since seen the error of their ways and has taken the long path to democracy and the true voice of the people. We all understand that no one can remake history but it is possible to redirect its course. What is even more important is that through history’s lessons, one can find the correct orientation for the future. That is why today, we must choose once again a new path for Vietnam. But this time it will be a choice made by a nation and not a chosen few. As such, a government such as the CPV, which has never won a single free election, should not claim to speak on behalf of the entire nation. On the basis of the above realities and said universal laws, fully conscious of our responsibilities as citizens in confronting the nation’s fate, we would like to describe as follows to our Compatriots both inside and outside of Vietnam: Objective, Methods and Significance of Our Struggle
The highest objective of our struggle for freedom and democracy for Vietnam is to ensure that the present political regime in Vietnam be fundamentally changed. Concretely speaking, it must be a change from the monistic, one-party, non-competitive regime that we have at the present time to a pluralistic and multiparty system. We must cultivate a healthy competition of thoughts and ideas and ensure a clear separation of powers between the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches of government. A higher objective is to reestablish the following fundamental rights of the people: The Freedom of Information and Opinion as defined in the United Nations’ International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified on 16 December 1966, and adhered to by Vietnam on 24 September 1982, Article 19.2: “Everyone shall have the right to freedom of opinion; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.” i.e. political parties, organizations and individuals have the freedom to express their opinion through the printed media, radio, television or any other mass media sans approval by the government. The Freedom of to Assemble, form Associations, Political Parties, Vote and Stand for Elected Offices as defined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 25: “Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity (a) to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives; (b) to vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors.” i.e. political parties of every hue and tendency are allowed to fairly compete in a genuine pluralistic and multiparty democracy. The Freedom to participate in Independent Labor Unions and the Right to Legitimate Strikes in accordance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ratified by the United Nations on 16 December 1966, Articles 7 and 8: “The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of just and favorable conditions of work…, the right of everyone to form trade unions and join the trade union of his choice, subjects only to the rules of the organization concerned, for the promotion and protection of his economic and social interests…[including] the right to strike…” i.e. labor unions must be independently active, without government control. The Freedom of Religion as defined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 18: “Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or adopt a Religion or Belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.” i.e. religions must be allowed to operate independently, without government intervention. We encourage all to join in this peaceful and non-violent struggle. We are also extremely thankful for the help and support from all our friends worldwide. Using modern media and through our ever larger international exchanges, we will continue to disseminate our most powerful weapons, knowledge and information, to the world. We hope that this Manifesto would foster the positive contributions of our compatriots living outside of Vietnam and the support of our international friends. We are sincerely grateful and call on the various United Nations organs, the various national parliaments, the various Governments, international organizations and our friends all over the world.Unanimously declared in Viet Nam on April 8, 2006 and on August 8, 2006
Interim Representatives
of the 118 Peaceful Democratic Fighters on 8 April 2006
and of the 1,839 Domestic Peaceful Democratic Fighters
& 2,021 Overseas Peaceful Democratic Fighterson on 8 Aug 2006
and of many tens of thousands of Members of Viet Nam
& Overseas Vietnameses of the Bloc 8406:
Đỗ Nam Hải, Engineer, Sài Gòn.
Trần Anh Kim, Former Military Officer, Thái Bình.
Nguyễn Văn Lý, Catholic Priest, Huế.
