Festivities mask internal party wrangling The capital was vibrant with the red and gold of Vietnamese flags yesterday for the 110th anniversary of the birth of Ho Chi Minh, but the occasion highlighted divisions in the Communist Party over the pace of reforms. A queue several kilometres long snaked amid heavy security through the park surrounding the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, which was festooned with floral tributes to the founding father of modern Vietnam. But Communist Party Secretary-General Le Kha Phieu used the anniversary to lash out at corruption and self-interest in the ruling party, which he said continued to threaten stability and social cohesion. "A serious review would show that the party-building and rejuvenation drive has not produced very high results thus far, with many long-standing problems among party committees at different levels remaining unsolved," he said in a speech reproduced in numerous mass-circulation state-controlled newspapers. "Some party members, including those in high positions, have not been sincere . . . about self-criticism and [analysis] on the correctness of [their] political convictions." He added that "individualism" had emerged and expanded to a "worrying" level. Mr Phieu has spearheaded a purge of the party that by the end of last year saw the disciplining of 1,500 members, including several senior officials and a deputy prime minister. One thousand other cadres and businessmen had also been charged with corruption, but the momentum of the purge has since faltered. Supreme People's Court vice-president Trinh Hong Duong told the National Assembly on Thursday that only 333 party members had been indicted for corruption by the end of March this year, with only eight punished with criminal sanctions. "The number of corruption cases has decreased when compared to the same period last year, but in fact corruption has not decreased . . . it has become more sophisticated and the corrupt are in stronger [relationships] with each other than ever before," Mr Duong said. Diplomats said the Secretary-General's speech - and a recent series of statements by other leaders urging accelerated reform and a loosening of the party's control of Vietnam's administration - indicated an intensifying behind-the-scenes struggle between reformers and conservatives ahead of next year's party congress. "The next congress is crucial as it will chart the course for Vietnam for the next five years," one foreign diplomat said. "The signals suggest a growing awareness among some sections of the party that Vietnam is at a crossroads economically, socially and politically, and there is a feeling that if the congress doesn't get it right, then Vietnam could be headed toward some very difficult times." By Huw Watkin - The South China Morning Post - May 20, 2000.