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We Are Different From the Chinese and “Vive La Difference”! |
Ðằng Vân
Point of View
Week Ending 15 April 2007
The moribund Imperial Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) and the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) have one thing in common: they are the dutiful students of their respective Chinese masters.
The Nguyen Emperors steadfastly adopted myopic Chinese policies with regard to opening the economy and society to Western influence, and modernize the nation at a time when Western powers were looking for markets in the Far East. This resulted in the forcible colonization of the nation by the French.
Similarly, the CPV steadfastly copies the repressive measures of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and imposes on the Vietnamese people a one-party dictatorship reminiscent of Nazism. As a result, of all the Far Eastern nations (such as South Korea, Japan and Taiwan) Communist China, Vietnam and Communist North Korea have the most backward economies and their citizens endure the worst form of political oppression.
The CCP appears to be quite secure in its grip on the Chinese People and the CPV would like to think so, too, as far as the Vietnamese people are concerned.
But it has made a fatal mistake:
The Vietnamese people are completely different from their Chinese counterparts in character:
Our people have nearly 5000 years of history. Granted that during 1000 of these years we were occupied by the Chinese. However this occupation could be understood from a different angle. It could be validly argued that, like all other feudal states or provinces or districts in ancient China, Vietnam had to accept a governor from the Imperial dynasty. That was all. We could go ahead and argue that, unlike the remainder of these Chinese states, provinces or districts, our people had had enough of the corruption, cronyism and hypocrisy of Imperial China, and decided to kick their officials from our land altogether.
The Vietnamese finally did it for good in 939 AD and have been able to remain essentially an independent state until now.
Of course, both Vietnam and China had been under foreign occupation, at times, since they parted ways.
Notably we were occupied by the French for about 70 years from 1883 to 1954. However, in historical terms and compared to China, even the period of French occupation was relatively short.
During that period, our people waged tirelessly various wars of independence that finally defeated the French in 1954. Besides the CPV, we had the Vietnamese Nationalist Party, the Great Viet Party, the Great Viet People’s Party, and the Vietnam Democratic Socialist Party…which greatly contributed to the national struggle against the French.
It is fair to argue that our people are not simply rebellious in nature, but their spirit of independence and self-respect is indomitable.
By contrast, the Chinese people, for almost 100 years between 1279 and1368, were enslaved by the Mongols, then again for more than two and a half centuries between 1644 and 1911 by the Manchu’s. Neither Mongols nor Manchu’s were Chinese and the foreigners treated then harshly.
I often marvel at how the Chinese in Hong Kong could accept British rule for 100 years without the slightest hint of rebellion?
How could the Chinese in Singapore accept the iron rule and filth of the Lee family for so many decades without putting up the slightest resistance?
How can 1.3 billion respectable men and women accept the rule of the fat and corrupt men of the CCP without as much as a whisper since the Tiananmen Square Massacre?
The answer lies in Chinese subservience and docility which are legendary. So are their subservience and docility to the ruling CCP.
Not so in the case of the Vietnamese people!
Indeed, for a nation of a mere 84 millions, we are small compared to the 1.3 billon Chinese. Both countries are ruled by ruthless one-party communist regimes.
But we currently have hundreds if not thousands of dissidents openly opposing the regime.
To name just a few:
Catholic Father Nguyen Van Ly and his associates
The Most Venerable Patriarchs Thich Quang Do and Thich Huyen Quang and their associates of the United Vietnamese Buddhist Congregation
Mr. Le Quang Liem and his associates of the Hoa Hao Buddhist Sect
Lawyers Mr. Nguyen Van Dai, Mr. Le Quoc Quan, Ms. Le Thi Cong Nhan and Ms. Tran Thuy Trang
Writers/poets/intellectuals such as Tran Manh Hao, Tieu Dao Bao Cu, Nguyen Vu Binh
And uncountable other dissident from all walks of life, ranging from peasants to intellectuals, from ex-members of the CPV to non-party members.
We have not only individuals but organizations not only within the Diaspora such as the Democratic Alliance, the Vietnam Reform Party, and the Vietnam Restoration Party.
We also have political parties and groups inside Vietnam openly challenging the regime such as the Progression Party, the Vietnamese Independent Trade Union, the People’s Democratic Party and others.
While we are exceedingly ashamed of the CPV, we are justly proud of our people and their indomitable spirit.
Finally to come to the point, I ask this question:
Where are all the political dissidents and non-Communist organizations within the Celestial Empire?
Of the 18 Chinese dissidents named in Wikepedia, most of them have been either moved overseas or effectively silenced by the regime one way or another. Even those fortunate enough to be overseas, I rarely hear from them, except for members of Falunggong which is a Buddhist religious sect.
The clear impression I have is that it is inherent within the character of each Chinese to accept servitude and authority. It is inherent within the character of each Vietnamese to rebel and stand up for justice and equity.
This does not augur well for the CPV.
Indeed, we are different from the Chinese and “Vive la Difference”.
And I would be delighted to be proven wrong by any non-communist Chinese who cares to read this article.
In such eventuality, I gladly stand to be corrected.
Ðằng Vân
17 April 2007