thquangvn
10-07-2007, 01:53 PM
THE STRAITS TIMES, July 7, 2007
Viet Cabinet shake-up to get party leaders' nod
More young and dynamic ministers to raise the country's profile
By Roger Mitton
HANOI - LEADERS of Vietnam's ruling communist party are meeting to
approve a radical Cabinet shake-up and consolidate the agenda of Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
Mr Dung will also use the current two-week party plenum to tighten
controls on the media and reform the bureaucracy.
His bold changes are designed to cement the party's hold on power and
confirm his position as the man in charge of modern-day Vietnam.
Diplomatic sources refer to his imminent shake-up as a power play by Mr
Dung, who has been a dynamo of activity after completing a year in
office last month.
His grand plans include elevating the Western-trained Education
Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan to be a Deputy Prime Minister and the new Foreign
Minister.
As The Straits Times reported last week, Mr Nhan's promotion to a DPM
post is a surprising development since he has been a full minister for
only one year.
But his concurrent move to take over the Foreign Ministry has stunned
observers even more, although most diplomats have applauded the
expected transfer.
Said one Western diplomat: 'Mr Nhan is articulate, Harvard-educated,
speaks English and German, and he's comfortable with diplomats and
foreign leaders. He is replacing a diffident, Czech-educated steel
expert. That says it all.'
The wide-ranging reshuffle will induct more youthful and outgoing
leaders who will boost Vietnam's international profile and help integrate it
more with the global economy.
The number of deputy PMs is expected to increase from three to five,
while the number of Cabinet posts will be reduced from 29 to 22.
Taking over Mr Nhan's education portfolio will be Mr Pham Thanh Binh,
another English-language speaker who is currently the director of Ho
Chi Minh City National University.
Another of Mr Nhan's fellow young technocrats, Industry Minister Hoang
Trung Hai, who attended university in Ireland, will also be promoted to
DPM.
Taking over at the enlarged Trade and Industry Ministry will be a new
face in the Cabinet, Mr Vu Huy Hoang, currently party boss in Lang Son
province, bordering China.
Most of the new ministers admire Singapore and want to develop
comparable standards of administrative efficiency in Vietnam.
Although the reshuffle is one of the most radical in Vietnam's history,
it is expected to be enthusiastically approved by the plenum's 160
party leaders drawn from across the nation.
Mr Dung will benefit from recent changes in party rules that make him
the first premier able to name his own Cabinet, although he will need to be
careful not to upset too many members of the party's old guard.
Said Mr Nguyen Tran Bat, chairman of Investconsult, a business advisory
group: 'I'm very pleased that the Prime Minister is going to reshuffle
his Cabinet to promote more dynamic young ministers. But he will need
to be very skilful in making these big changes.'
Following Mr Dung's wishes, the plenum is also expected to approve
measures to further circumscribe Vietnam's already restricted domestic
media.
The Prime Minister first revealed these new limits on May 28, when he
ruled that unauthorised civil servants cannot 'speak to the public or
provide information to the press'.
Most editors have said they can live with the new controls.
Said Mr Nguyen Dai Phuong, world news editor of Tien Phong newspaper:
'Vietnam is still an undeveloped nation and it will take time for us to
mature. So the demand for a free press at this time is unreasonable.'
But others argue that Mr Dung's government already shackles the media
too much.
Said Mr Bat: 'They go too far and their censorship is not consistent
with the advancement of the country and it has constrained creativity that
would help Vietnam develop faster.'
Viet Cabinet shake-up to get party leaders' nod
More young and dynamic ministers to raise the country's profile
By Roger Mitton
HANOI - LEADERS of Vietnam's ruling communist party are meeting to
approve a radical Cabinet shake-up and consolidate the agenda of Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
Mr Dung will also use the current two-week party plenum to tighten
controls on the media and reform the bureaucracy.
His bold changes are designed to cement the party's hold on power and
confirm his position as the man in charge of modern-day Vietnam.
Diplomatic sources refer to his imminent shake-up as a power play by Mr
Dung, who has been a dynamo of activity after completing a year in
office last month.
His grand plans include elevating the Western-trained Education
Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan to be a Deputy Prime Minister and the new Foreign
Minister.
As The Straits Times reported last week, Mr Nhan's promotion to a DPM
post is a surprising development since he has been a full minister for
only one year.
But his concurrent move to take over the Foreign Ministry has stunned
observers even more, although most diplomats have applauded the
expected transfer.
Said one Western diplomat: 'Mr Nhan is articulate, Harvard-educated,
speaks English and German, and he's comfortable with diplomats and
foreign leaders. He is replacing a diffident, Czech-educated steel
expert. That says it all.'
The wide-ranging reshuffle will induct more youthful and outgoing
leaders who will boost Vietnam's international profile and help integrate it
more with the global economy.
The number of deputy PMs is expected to increase from three to five,
while the number of Cabinet posts will be reduced from 29 to 22.
Taking over Mr Nhan's education portfolio will be Mr Pham Thanh Binh,
another English-language speaker who is currently the director of Ho
Chi Minh City National University.
Another of Mr Nhan's fellow young technocrats, Industry Minister Hoang
Trung Hai, who attended university in Ireland, will also be promoted to
DPM.
Taking over at the enlarged Trade and Industry Ministry will be a new
face in the Cabinet, Mr Vu Huy Hoang, currently party boss in Lang Son
province, bordering China.
Most of the new ministers admire Singapore and want to develop
comparable standards of administrative efficiency in Vietnam.
Although the reshuffle is one of the most radical in Vietnam's history,
it is expected to be enthusiastically approved by the plenum's 160
party leaders drawn from across the nation.
Mr Dung will benefit from recent changes in party rules that make him
the first premier able to name his own Cabinet, although he will need to be
careful not to upset too many members of the party's old guard.
Said Mr Nguyen Tran Bat, chairman of Investconsult, a business advisory
group: 'I'm very pleased that the Prime Minister is going to reshuffle
his Cabinet to promote more dynamic young ministers. But he will need
to be very skilful in making these big changes.'
Following Mr Dung's wishes, the plenum is also expected to approve
measures to further circumscribe Vietnam's already restricted domestic
media.
The Prime Minister first revealed these new limits on May 28, when he
ruled that unauthorised civil servants cannot 'speak to the public or
provide information to the press'.
Most editors have said they can live with the new controls.
Said Mr Nguyen Dai Phuong, world news editor of Tien Phong newspaper:
'Vietnam is still an undeveloped nation and it will take time for us to
mature. So the demand for a free press at this time is unreasonable.'
But others argue that Mr Dung's government already shackles the media
too much.
Said Mr Bat: 'They go too far and their censorship is not consistent
with the advancement of the country and it has constrained creativity that
would help Vietnam develop faster.'