Using “blunt” move, Vietnamese Prime Minister tries to lock hands of Party chief

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is one of the “people” of former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung

On October 17, 2012, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong delivered the closing address of the 6th Plenum of the 11th Central Committee of the party. At that time, Trong gave a choked and angry speech in tears when he himself, although well prepared, still failed to discipline then Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

It’s a political game. The Central Committee has 200 members, of which more than half were on the side of PM Dung. Dung appointed many people at the level of members of the Central Committee, or he lobbied for his subordinates to become members of the committee, to install them in the top positions of provinces and centrally-run cities throughout Vietnam.

Dung’s scheme to plant people was easily carried out during his first term as Prime Minister, ie the 2006-2011 term. During this period, Nong Duc Manh was the weak General Secretary, letting Dung poke too deeply into the personnel work of the Secretariat and the Politburo. And it was those pins that saved Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung at the 6th Plenum.

After 2016, Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung withdrew after reaching an agreement with Nguyen Phu Trong’s faction, which was to put Mr. Dung’s “people” in the input group into a number of important positions, including the position of Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee for Dinh La Thang, and Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee for Hoang Trung Hai.

However, after Dung ran out of power, Trong attacked Dinh La Thang in the middle of his term, and defeated Hoang Trung Hai at the end of his term. Thought, Trong had blocked the “people” of Dung. But no, at the 13th Party Congress, Pham Minh Chinh suddenly emerged to occupy the Prime Minister’s seat. That is, Trong could not destroy all the “people” left by Dung, so these people still remained.

The current PM position of Chinh is not equal to that of Dung before. However, to beat Pham Minh Chinh at this time is not easy for Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong. The reason was due to the wrong move of the General Secretary.

Trong has a habit of hitting where it is easy to hit first, and then hitting the difficult place later. This way of fighting gives him the feeling of “winning like splitting bamboo.” However, with this approach, it is not surprising that difficult cases.

So far, Trong has beaten two Deputy Prime Ministers and President. Such an achievement against the enemy can be said to be “unprecedented.” However, most of these positions are weaker than the PM position. Defeating the two DPMs and the President is not necessarily going to defeat the PM. Because the position of PM is a position of power and at the same time the people of Dung more than 10 years ago, most of them have a firm foothold in the Central Government. This group is still silently supporting Chinh to stay in the Government. It is not easy for Trong to eliminate Chinh, the way he eliminated President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

According to the information we received, after the blow to the two Deputy Prime Ministers and the State President, the “remnants” of these three men are leaning towards the Prime Minister, inadvertently giving the Prime Minister a firmer support. If the General Secretary takes action against the PM at this time, the Communist Party will fall from within. There is a very strong implicit opposition against the General Secretary, and it seems that Trong is showing signs of faltering before the PM.

As for the Prime Minister, who is currently being criticized for his economic management policy. The stock market is in turmoil, the real estate market is frozen, public investment flows are blocked, etc… and Chinh himself is helpless. The General Secretary’s faction is closely following the Prime Minister’s birthmarks, but does not dare to take action, for fear of the Party’s rebellion.

In this game, Pham Minh Chinh is inactive. He kept shouting as if he was trying, but he didn’t do anything. However, touching Pham Minh Chinh now is like poking a nest of fire ants.

Thoibao.de (Translated)