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Communist Stupidity is beyond Description

Ðằng Vân

Point of View

Week Ending 25 March 2007

 

When we look at the public approval ratings of past and current American presidents, there are definite ups and downs for each of them:

In the USA, the most powerful democracy in the world, according to the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research of the University of Connecticut, (www.ropercenter.uconn.edu)

George W Bush reached his highest popularity in September 2001 at 92% (ABC poll) and his lowest point in January 2007 at 28% (CBS poll)

Bill Clinton reached 73% in January 1998 and 36% in 1993.

George Bush Senior 89% in March 1991 and 29% in August 1992

Ronald Reagan 68% in November 1981 and 35% in January 1983, so on and so forth.

In a less powerful, but not less democratic, nation Australia, the approval rating of the current Prime Minister John Howard and his entire Liberal Party receives a severe beating. According to The Australian (March 20, 2007), on a two party-preferred basis, voters’ support for the Labor Party Opposition stands at a whopping 61% compared to the Liberal Government at 31%. The leader of the Opposition Kevin Rudd’s approval as preferred PM stood at 49% compared to that of the current PM John Howard at a dismal 36%.

Now, consider carefully to the following piece of astonishing display of stupidity by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) to prop up its image in the wake of the May 2007 bizarre Congressional Election. In this election democracy is proportionately related to total and absolute CPV control of the electoral process, the selection of candidates, the outcome of the election and the enshrining of the one-party rule:

According to one of the official media outlets of this illustrious Communist government VietnamNet.Com.vn (26/3/07), on the night of 26th March 2007, no less than the Committee of the Fatherland Front of Quan Thanh Sub-District, Hanoi, had organized a meeting to sound voters’ opinion on their approval of the three local candidates for the National Congress in the coming May election.

These three candidates happen to be: CPV General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, State President Nguyen Minh Triet and who else but the Minister for Police Le Hong Anh.

The journalist Do Minh happily reported that voters in Section 35, Quan Thanh Sub-District indicated their approval by a show of hands and all three candidates reached perfect approval ratings of 100%.

This level of approval would indeed put John Howard, George W Bush, Bill Clinton, George Bush Senior, Ronald Reagan and all other leaders of democratic nations of the world to permanent shame.

They should come to Vietnam, pay homage to General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and his associates and learn from them the art of democratic government.

To cap this farce, Nong Duc Manh thanked the voters in his electorate and said:

“I am really moved. We live here…Despite efforts, the participation of the section is not regular because of various reasons. If today, my senior uncles, senior brothers, senior sisters have not yet said everything you must say, then from now on just say it straight, both good aspects and not yet good aspects. Like that we contribute to building a civilized city section, sub-district, district and Capital City which will improve.”

Then he promised that “Whether or not I will be elected by the people, we shall try our best in our separate task.”

Leaders of the world, have you got that?

This clown “sincerely” thought he could be voted out by the people!

Especially, his reassuring words should be enough to put the most difficult voters to rest.

Of course, the presence and watchful eyes of Police Minister Le Hong Anh did not intimidate any voters at all. Socialist democracy is so perfect that a secret ballot is obsolete, a waste of time and should be banned for ever.

The above article in VietnamNet is supposed to boost the democratic credentials of the current leadership, subsequent to Vietnam’s ascension to WTO and the glory of its hosting of APEC.

Then why do I have the stinking feeling that all Vietnamese citizens are utterly ashamed of their leaders’ callousness and stupidity?

Ðằng Vân

27 March 2007