Viet Nam Fatherland Front (VFF)
Central Committee vice president Nguyen Van Pha spoke to Dai Doan Ket (Great
Solidarity) about the representative role of National Assembly deputies.

Fifteen
self-nominated candidates have been short-listed for the coming National
Assembly election in May. The number represents a dramatic 50 per cent decline
in self-nominated candidates, why is that?

I can only emphasise
that all the preparations for the election have strictly followed the legal
process. In 2007, of a total of 238 self-nominated candidates, 30 were added to
the shortlist, accounting for 12 per cent. This year, of a total 83
self-nominated candidates (a 65.2 per cent decline in nominations), 15
candidates (a 50 per cent decline on 2007) made the final round, accounting for
over 18 per cent of the final candidate shortlist. So the rate of self-nominated
candidates who the VFF added to the official list for the 13th NA election is
higher than previously.

The number of
self-nominated candidates is still modest in terms of an 832-strong shortlist,
don’t you think?

The VFF’s Central
Committee deputy chairman and secretary general Vu Trong Kim said every
candidate had an equal opportunity to participate. The important point is their
performance, not the quantity. In my opinion, the question is how NA deputies
fulfil their representative role, as the deciding factor. The NA electoral
process is entering the final phase. At the end, people will care much more
about what the deputies can do for the country than whether they were nominated
by themselves or by others.

Do you have
any comments about the fact that most of self-nominated candidates were
businessmen?

I think it’s normal.
Confidence is the first factor needed for an individual to stand as candidate in
an election. Businessmen are usually more confident than others because they
have had the chance to work in different fields with different people. However,
we also have candidates who are not businessmen. For example, doctor Nguyen Minh
Hong who was a 12th NA deputy and nominated himself in this year’s NA election
and former VFF’s Central Committee vice president Le Truyen.

Many say that
business people see profit as their main priority. Do you think there is
question of self-interest behind their nomination?

The only people who
can answer that question are businessmen themselves. To me, when meeting some of
them, I see their desire to deliver results for the electorate in the National
Assembly. As NA deputies, they firstly speak on behalf of voters for the common
good and then for the particular sector and localities where they work. I
believe that voters will be wise enough to select their representatives and can
see through any alleged self interest.

The VFF at all
levels will organise election hustings for voters from May 3-18. Is VFF
responsible for how candidates carry out their promises to voters?

To some extent,
voters can judge the candidates partly through the meetings. As an organiser,
the VFF will record the performance of the candidates during the election
campaign and the promises they make to voters in order to scrutinise their
performance when elected. Under the current law, when the candidates become NA
deputies, the National Assembly Standing Committee is responsible for dealing
with their performances. So, if voters are critical of their elected
representative, they can lodge their complaint with the VFF. The VFF will submit
their report to the relevant authorities to deal with the situation legally.

In addition to the
VFF and voters, the mass media is a powerful force in supervising the
candidates/deputies. I believe that when the whole community scrutinises their
representatives, the deputies will be under more pressure to fulfil their
promises, and will improve their performances.

In a recent
on-line conference, Home Affairs Minister Tran Van Tuan said that it was illegal
for people to go to vote on behalf of other person. What should be done to curb
the common phenomenon?

A reporter once
questioned me: “Is it necessary for VFF officials to go out and encourage people
to exercise their right to vote?” I answered that such a campaign wasn’t about
getting people to vote on time, but to encourage people to get out and use their
vote. Besides efforts made by electoral bodies, voters should exercise their
right, and regard it more as an obligation. However, electoral organisers should
also arrange extra ballot boxes to improve access to those unable to go to the
poll booths including the elderly and the sick.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News