Passing the Buck Back
KHANH HOA - Pham Thi Duc felt a tremor of hope when she
heard that a high-powered government delegation was
coming to her southern province of Khanh Hoa in late
September. Living in dread of forced eviction, Duc was
loath to accept the state's offer of 4,950 dong (34 cents)
per square metre to give up her land and make way for a
new bus station. So, alongside hundreds of other citizens,
the frail 69-year-old waited for ages in the provincial
capital Nha Trang to meet the team sent to hear public
complaints.
Finally, after 13 hours, she was granted four minutes to
plead her case. But rather than reach their own
conclusion, the Hanoi officials simply referred the case
back to Duc's nemesis, the ruling provincial people's
committee. Her case wasn't unusual--during the
delegation's 10-day stay in the province, 400 other cases
received similar referrals, with only five cases resolved
by the central-government team.
"The provincial people's committee just wants to cover
up the problem. But the officials from the central
government are just standing by their side, so what can
we do?" says a tearful Duc, echoing the disillusionment
dogging the latest unconvincing bid by Vietnam's
communist leadership to prove their commitment to fair,
efficient local government.
Alarmed by mounting allegations of official misconduct
and protracted land conflicts, Hanoi in September began
sending special teams to 18 of the country's 61 provinces
to help arbitrate local disputes. Their work was to end in
late November. But what started out as an exercise in
rural pacification is threatening to backfire in further
unrest. That spells trouble for Hanoi, as well as the local
officials who must cope with unmet expectations. Even
the leading party newspaper, Nhan Dan, sniffs further
trouble. "Many local officials worry that when the
working groups finish their trips, they will face new
difficulties," noted an October editorial.
The provincial missions have also led to an unusually
open rebuke of the local authorities. The Ho Chi Minh
City Law newspaper on October 3 quoted these harsh
words from Health Minister Do Nguyen Phuong, who
led the mission to Khanh Hoa: "The resolution of
denunciations and complaints is not handled well at the
grass-roots level. People insist that laws only exist on
paper, and officials suppress people."
Such pronouncements can be interpreted in several
ways, analysts say. On one level, they indicate official
recognition that provincial problems require immediate
attention from Hanoi. They also flag Hanoi's growing
tolerance of local expressions of dissatisfaction.
However, such words may also be aimed at
strengthening public trust in the party's top leadership in
the run-up to their pivotal Ninth Congress in March.
What's clear is that Hanoi can no longer rule by remote
control. With farmers staging small, muted
demonstrations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in
September and October, problems are being dumped
directly on the doorstep of the national leadership.
Moreover, the boisterous response to the provincial
missions shows that "the level of knowledge and
understanding has been improving very fast," says one
high-ranking party member. "It's no longer possible to
treat them as stupid farmers and suppress their voices."
Yet the impotence of the teams sent to the provinces
bodes ill for the prospects of reform. While Hanoi has
ordered special panels to be set up to deal with
overflowing complaints, they are likely to be bogged
down in the same bureaucracy that has generated so
much grass-roots frustration.
It's not the first time that rural unrest has alarmed the
politburo in recent years. In 1997, a series of peasant
protests erupted in northern Vietnam's Thai Binh
province when farmers complained of astronomical taxes
and embezzlement by local officials. Although Hanoi
initially tried to suppress news of the protests, a shaken
leadership eventually tried to address the problems
through more local consultation. Such problems led to a
1998 decree on "the exercise of democracy" within local
government.
"Any manifestations of red tape, irresponsibility or lack
of democracy in the handling of work must be
overcome," reads the regulation, signed by Premier Phan
Van Khai. Two years later, Khai's decision to send
special teams to 18 provinces has underscored Vietnam's
failure to adhere to such noble words.
For their part, some local officials attribute the mounting
complaints to accelerated economic development, as well
as communication gaps. As in other developing countries,
they argue, those displaced by new infrastructure and
industrial projects are often upset because they fail to
grasp the greater good. "I think that it is also the mistake
of our own cadres, for not clearly and thoroughly
explaining things to the people," says Nguyen Minh Son,
vice-chairman of the Khanh Hoa provincial people's
committee. "If we build an industrial zone or a new road,
the provincial economy will improve and they will
benefit." Son also notes a growing bias against local
officials. "There are people who think that the higher
authorities are more intelligent than those at the
provincial level," he says. But sending complaints directly
to Hanoi will only result in their provincial referral, he
cautions.
Mounting complaints
Nationwide, it is unclear how many Vietnamese have
lodged complaints. At a recent briefing for foreign
reporters, Deputy Premier Nguyen Cong Tan said that in
the third quarter alone, the government had received
1,500 legitimate letters of complaint, but only eight
officials had been disciplined.
In Khanh Hoa, a fuller picture emerged after the Hanoi
team's visit. Last year, 5,068 people registered
complaints in person and the authorities received an
additional 3,154 letters. In the first half of this year, the
volume of letters rose by more than 8% compared to the
same period last year. As in other provinces, land
conflicts--particularly over compensation--topped the
complaints list. Khanh Hoa officials tried to put a positive
spin on the numbers, asserting that most cases had been
settled. But the frustrated crowds waiting to see the
Hanoi team evidently felt otherwise.
In his team report, Phuong praised local authorities for
guiding people to the proper agencies in registering their
complaints. People can lodge grievances at offices all
over Khanh Hoa, but rural folk often go straight to the
people's committee in Nha Trang, as it is seen as more
powerful. But Phuong chided those agencies for failing
to meet regularly with complainants, as required by law,
and simply transferring their complaints to other
departments rather than resolving them.
Ironically, some Khanh Hoa residents would voice
similar complaints about Phuong's team. "We wanted the
centre to solve this problem," says Catholic priest
Nguyen Cong Dac, referring to a long-simmering dispute
over a parcel of land beside Nha Trang Cathedral. "The
delegation did not solve this problem, but they
ping-ponged the problem back to the provincial
authorities." Those are the same authorities who decided
to build a sports centre on the site, rather than allow the
cathedral to build a new school and car park.
Instead of local authorities attending the hearings, Dac
says the Hanoi team should have pursued its work
independently and conclusively. "They should have
studied the documents to see if they are legal or illegal. If
we are right, they should have returned the land, and paid
the compensation. If we are wrong, they should tell me
where we are wrong."
From the outset, the government never promised that the
teams would provide instant solutions to all cases in all 18
provinces. Rather, they were tasked with investigating
some complaints, while generally supervising and
correcting the work of local authorities. Given the
volume and complexity of the complaints, it would be
unrealistic to expect otherwise.
But realism ends where desperation begins. After
waiting so long for a little attention from Hanoi, the
discontented inhabitants of Khanh Hoa and other
provinces are running out of patience. To stem the angry
tide, Hanoi announced on November 1 the decision to set
up new administrative panels to resolve disputes at the
local level.
That's little consolation to some provincial dwellers, who
are wondering if it was worth the risk to approach the
Hanoi officials for help. After raising bright red banners
to protest against their imminent displacement due to an
expanding local market, one community in Nha Trang
city is contending with increased police surveillance.
Says one disgruntled protester: "It would have been
better if the delegation didn't come."
By Margot Cohen - The Far Eastern Economic Review - November 30, 2000.
|