Võ Văn Kiệt
Võ Văn Kiệt | |
---|---|
State Planning Commission | |
In office April 1982 – March 1988 | |
Preceded by | Nguyễn Lam |
Succeeded by | Đậu Ngọc Xuân |
Advisor to the Central Committee | |
In office 29 December 1997 – 22 April 2001 Serving with Đỗ Mười and Lê Đức Anh | |
Preceded by | Phạm Văn Đồng |
Succeeded by | Position abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | Phan Văn Hòa 23 November 1922 Phan Lương Cầm |
Võ Văn Kiệt (Vietnamese:
Kiệt, who played a driving role in the economic reform process in Vietnam that began in the mid-1980s, is exactly what United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon once assessed, "Võ Văn Kiệt paved the way for the transformation of Vietnam." of the country from poverty to a decade of impressive economic growth." The five years from the 6th Party Congress (December 1986) to the 7th Congress (June 1991) were the time of the debate. Conflict and struggle at different levels, levels, and areas between the two trends of returning to the old subsidized bureaucratic mechanism or decisively breaking up with it. Many officials either do it for personal gain or because they do not want it. Having enough determination and capacity, they did not dare and did not want to innovate. Faced with that situation, Võ Văn Kiệt and many senior leaders persevered, showing strong determination to innovate and clearly pointing out that innovation must follow closely. into practical conditions to meet the interests of the people and the country.
As Vice Chairman of the Council of Ministers (June 1988-August 1991), Chairman of the Council of Ministers (August 1991-October 1992), Prime Minister (October 1992-December 1997), Kiệt proposed and directed the development and implementation of many groundbreaking policies such as: eliminating ordinance targets, granting business autonomy to state-owned enterprises; commercialize means of production, allowing large enterprises, both central and local, to directly import and export, ending the situation of two prices; abolish the mandatory purchasing regime imposed on farmers, abolish the river ban on markets, implement the free circulation of goods throughout the country,... gradually transition the economy from a subsidized to a market economy.
Background
Võ Văn Kiệt was born Phan Văn Hòa in 1922 into a peasant family in Trung Hiệp village,
Political career
Võ Văn Kiệt was a member of the
In 1960, he was elected alternate member of the Communist Party Central Committee and a member of
In the early postwar years, South Vietnam's economy deteriorated rapidly due to the withdrawal of US investment and the harsh Stalinist policies enforced by central government. Saigon, formerly a dynamic economic center, faced for the first time a widespread lack of food and other commodities.[5] As the head of the city government, Võ Văn Kiệt realized that the Soviet economic model was flawed and secretly promoted trade and manufacturing behind the state's back. Gradually he became one of the staunchest supporters of the reformist faction in the party, many of whom were local party heads and administrators in southern provinces.
In 1982, he was promoted to Deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers (Vice Premier) and became Chairman of the State Planning Commission. In 1987, he was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam and assumed the role of Acting Prime Minister from March to June 1988 after the sudden death of Phạm Hùng.[6] In the tradition of the party's organisation, he should have been made Premier. However, allegedly due to a personal quarrel between Võ Văn Kiệt and Nguyễn Văn Linh- the Secretary General and his longtime superior - as well as opposition from conservative members of the Politburo, Đỗ Mười was chosen instead. In the plenary session of the National Assembly in 1988, however, many delegates nominated him as a second candidate. Even though he got only 35% of votes, this was unprecedented, as elections in the National Assembly had previously had one candidats and they were essentially just a rubber-stamp of decisions made by the Party Politburo.
Prime minister
Võ Văn Kiệt took the role of First Vice Premier and continued to push his reform agenda. In 1991, he was elected as Prime Minister, an office he held until 1997. His tenure marked the advance of the administrative branch at the expense of the influence of the Party's institutions, when the power was shared by three top leaders: himself as Prime Minister, General Secretary Đỗ Mười), and President Lê Đức Anh. He initiated a large program of economic reform, reorganised the government and urged the broadening of diplomatic ties. In the early 1990s Vietnam gradually recovered from the economic crisis of the previous decade. In 1995 the country joined the ASEAN community and normalized relations with the US, ending 20 years of formal mutual enmity and American embargo after the fall of Saigon.[7]
After more than 2 years of building the 500kV North - South Line, circuit 1, at exactly 7:00 p.m., 7 minutes and 59 seconds on 27 May 1994, Võ Văn Kiệt ordered the Southern power system to be merged with 4 units of the Hydroelectric Plant Hòa Bình in Đà Nẵng. After this event, many people called him "Electricity Prime Minister", a commander-in-chief of the industry, a leader who laid the foundation and made great contributions to a unified electricity grid nationwide, meeting the needs of the entire country. development and economic integration as today. Kiệt's old decision solved the problem of electricity shortage in the South and promoted economic development. Ho Chi Minh City is the economic development engine of the country.
The conflict between reformist and conservative factions increased and culminated in a series of power struggles in the mid-1990s. Representing the reformists, Võ Văn Kiệt advocated for further privatisation of the state dominated economy, as well as democratization - an approach criticised by his political rivals as dangerous to "socialist orientation". In 1996, after the party could not create a consensus on personnel arrangement, all of the three top leaders remained in their positions. However, factionalism was only intensified and eventually led Võ Văn Kiệt and his opponents Mười and Anh to step down at the same time in 1997.[8] They continued to influence the country affairs as advisors to the Standing Committee of the party until 2001.
Final years
After retiring from politics, Võ Văn Kiệt lived in Ho Chi Minh City. He remained a member of the Advisory Council to the Party's Central Committee until 2001. Since then, he had spoken out on many issues, and was seen as a defender of people's rights.[9]
Võ Văn Kiệt was the highest-ranking former government official to have openly spoken out about reconciliation with Vietnamese exiles and democracy activists.[10] He had spoken out against the proposed expansion of Hanoi[11][12] and the demolition of the historic National Assembly building in Ba Đình Square to make place for a new one.[13]
Death and funeral
Võ Văn Kiệt was admitted to Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital on June 3, 2008 and died at the age of 85 on June 11, 2008.[14][15]
State media did not announce his death until the night of June 12, after most foreign news agencies had already reported it and many foreign dignitaries had already offered condolences, including
Memorial and burial services at state level for Võ Văn Kiệt were organized in Vietnam's southern
"The death of former prime minister Võ Văn Kiệt is a great loss to the party, state, people and his family... He had a spirit of daring to think and daring to do. The comrade (Võ Văn Kiệt) and party and state leaders led all people to conduct the renovation cause, bringing our country out of the socioeconomic crisis,"
Top Communist Party officials, some wearing black suits and black ties,[18] solemnly stood to attention in the front row of mourners before Võ Văn Kiệt's coffin during the service. Relatives stood in black mourning clothes and white headbands.
The coffin was draped in Vietnam's red flag[19] with a gold star and enclosed in a glass case for transportation on a gun carriage through city streets to the national cemetery for burial.
Tens of thousands[20] of mourners lined the streets to honor Võ Văn Kiệt as his coffin was carried in a procession of military vehicles through Hồ Chí Minh City to be cremated.
The country's political elite paid their respects in
As his body lay in state, the palace hall was filled with incense smoke and funereal music played by an army band. Saturday and Sunday were declared days of mourning with flags flying at half-mast at official buildings.
In a statement, current Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng paid tribute to Võ Văn Kiệt as "a wholehearted, loyal, irrepressible and heroic revolutionary. All his life, all his heart and all his force was for the country and the people."
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Gia Khiêm told AFP that Võ Văn Kiệt "was very dynamic in setting policy in the renovation period, and I think his contribution will stay with the Vietnamese people forever."
Eulogy
The eulogy for Võ Văn Kiệt was given by communist party leader
He described Võ Văn Kiệt as "an excellent leader of our party, state and people, a faithful revolutionary fighter who has devoted his whole life for national independence, socialism and people's happiness". Võ Văn Kiệt's flag-draped coffin, carried in a glass case and accompanied by a military procession, was then taken through the streets, where thousands of mourners waited to pay tribute. Vietnam held two days of national mourning. Among the grey ranks of Vietnam's communist leadership, Võ Văn Kiệt was one of few figures to have stood out.
Credited as a leading figure in the economic reforms known as
After the
In an interview with the BBC in 2007 he questioned whether Communist Party members were true patriots, saying: "The motherland of Vietnam doesn't belong to one person, one party or one group only."[22]
In his final weeks, Võ Văn Kiệt also spoke out against the expansion of the capital
Legacy
Võ Văn Kiệt led Vietnam's economic reform of the 1990s and its reopening to the outside world after decades of isolation. His death raises questions about which way the communist party in Vietnam would move on. There were signs in late 2010s that Võ Văn Kiệt's reformist allies had been losing their influence.
Out of office, since 1997, Võ Văn Kiệt remained active in politics, publishing commentaries pushing for more liberalisation even as Vietnam joined the
Quotes
The motherland belongs to us, the nation belongs to us, the state belongs to us, Vietnam belongs to us, not to communists or any religious group or faction.[24]
When mentioning the [Vietnam] war, a million people feel happy but another million feel miserable.
References
Notes
Sources
- ^ "Ex-Vietnam premier Vo Van Kiet dies at 85: government", AFP, June 11, 2008.
- ^ Ronald B. Frankum Jr. Historical Dictionary of the War in Vietnam, 2011 p.479. entry "Võ Văn Kiệt"
- ^ Phuong Thao. "Võ Văn Kiệt – người con ưu tú của quê hương Vũng Liêm". Bao Van Hoa (Culture Magazine) (in Vietnamese). Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vietnam. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ^ "Interview with Vo Van Kiet". BBC Vietnamese. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ISBN 9781484040003. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ^ "Prime Minister of Vietnam during periods". Website of Government of Vietnam. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ^ "U.S. - Vietnam Relations". U.S Embassy to Vietnam. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
- ISBN 9780195383348.
- ^ Đổi mới không phải là xóa bỏ hoàn toàn cái cũ hay từ bỏ chủ nghĩa xã hội mà là nhận thức lại một cách đúng đắn hơn về một chủ nghĩa xã hội nhân bản, hoàn thiện, với lý tưởng phục vụ con người, vì con người.
- ^ Nga Pham (2008-06-11). "Obituary: Vo Van Kiet". BBC News. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ^ Võ Văn Kiệt, Mở rộng Hà Nội: Không thể chỉ là một ý tưởng cảm tính Archived 2009-01-22 at the Wayback Machine, Tuổi trẻ newspaper, May 5, 2008
- ^ "Võ Văn Kiệt: Không được phép đưa thủ đô làm nơi thí nghiệm". Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
- ^ Cựu Thủ tướng Võ Văn Kiệt lên tiếng về việc xây nhà Quốc hội mới.
- ^ Vietnam reformist ex-premier Vo Van Kiet dies at 85. Archived 2009-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Vietnam holds state funeral for former PM
- ^ BBC Vietnamese (2008-06-12). "Báo VN đợi đưa tin về ông Võ Văn Kiệt". Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ^ Thông cáo đặc biệt Archived 2008-06-18 at the Wayback Machine June 12, 2008 of Communist Party of Vietnam
- ^ Ex-Vietnam reformist PM hailed for daring
- ^ At funeral, ex-Vietnam reformist PM hailed for daring
- ^ Vietnam mourns reformist PM Vo Van Kiet
- ^ Funeral held for Vietnam's ex-PM
- ^ Cựu thủ tướng Việt Nam Võ Văn Kiệt qua đời, thọ 85 tuổi[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Ai thương tiếc ông Võ Văn Kiệt?". Archived from the original on 2008-09-28. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
- ^ BBC phiên bản Việt ngữ (2008-06-11). "Cựu thủ tướng Võ Văn Kiệt qua đời". BBC. Retrieved 2008-06-11.