Pointed out as the first responsible for a corruption and bribery scandal, which occurred in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis and whose ramifications extend to Quebec, the President of Vietnam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, was forced to resign on Tuesday. But this story also hides internal struggles within the Communist Party ruling the country.
Even if the function of president is largely cosmetic, such a departure is very rare in a country like Vietnam, where power is in the hands of the Communist Party constantly seeking to maintain an image of stability.
However, the unveiling in broad daylight of two financial scandals led to the resignation of a few dozen senior civil servants and political leaders.
These were mixed with stories of bribes paid by a company, Viet A Technologies, to officials to approve the use of COVID-19 tests.
The other scandal has had ramifications all over the world and allegedly involves embassy employees who sold high prices for seats on charter planes bringing home Vietnamese, including many students enrolled in different universities. .
“I have students who have bought plane tickets for $5,000 without being given an invoice. For me, it is extremely shocking,” says Danielle Labbé, associate professor at the School of Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Montreal and attached to the Center for Asian Studies.
This is also confirmed by Luong Tu, professor of political science at the University of Oregon in Eugene. “People have paid $5,000 and even more to return to Vietnam. Upon their arrival, they were sent to isolated camps where they paid living expenses. »
Praised for its management of the pandemic
Nguyen Xuan Phuc was Prime Minister of Vietnam when these events occurred. As he was at the head of the government machine, he is now paying the price. And this, even if, at the time, we had praised his management of the pandemic.
When the COVID-19 crisis hit, Vietnam virtually isolated itself from the rest of the world. Borders have been closed.
The country had closed to commercial flights. People who tried to return did so by chartered flights orchestrated by the embassies.
Danielle Labbé, Associate Professor at the School of Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Montreal and attached to the Center for Asian Studies
This is where things went wrong. “Both the minister of foreign affairs and the minister of health were sacked because of the ticket price scandal,” notes Professor Luong Tu.
As for the bribes paid by the purchase of the screening tests of Viet A Technologies, he summarizes the situation as follows: “The company bought these cheap tests in China. She resold them at several times the price paid, claiming that it was an innovative product. »
As early as June 2022, heads started rolling as the wrongdoings came to light. Health Minister Ngoc Anh and Hanoi Mayor Nguyen Thanh Long were arrested. Two deputy prime ministers, the minister of foreign affairs and the top official in the fight against COVID-19 in Vietnam have been sacked this year.
In all, a hundred people have been arrested in the repatriation scandal and 37 are linked to the screening tests. By paying some 34 million US in bribes, Viet A Technologies would have been enriched by 172 million.
Infighting
Moreover, several observers believe that major internal struggles are hidden under this scandal that has smeared several party leaders. As in China, the Communist Party runs the country, and decisions are concentrated in the Politburo, made up of 16 members. However, several factions clash there.
Normally, Politburo Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is expected to step down in three years and, as always, different factions are clashing over what happens next. This is the perfect time for one faction to unearth the other’s dirty laundry to gain an advantage.
Luong Tu, professor of political science at the University of Oregon in Eugene
According to Professor Nhu Truong, who teaches at Denison University in Ohio, the current tensions also hinge on the question for Vietnam of aligning itself or not with the Chinese Communist Party.
“For a few years, Nguyen Phu Trong concentrated the two jobs of secretary of the Politburo and president of the country, a function which he abandoned in 2021, says this researcher who did his doctorate at McGill University. It was a precedent, but that’s what Xi Jinping is doing in Beijing. It will now be necessary to monitor how things will turn out at the head of the country. Are we going to align with China or not? »
Both Mr. Lu and Mr.me Truong don’t expect Nguyen Xuan Phuc to be punished further following his departure.
With Agence France-Presse and Associated Press
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- 800
- Number of planes chartered by Vietnam after the closure of its borders to repatriate Vietnamese citizens living in around sixty countries.
SOURCE: FRANCE PRESS AGENCY