“People’s feedbacks on the draft constitution is a basic democratic right”

Monday, September 10, 2012

(VOVworld) – Dinh Xuan Thao, the Director of the Institute for Legislative Studies, told a seminar in Ho Chi Minh city on Monday that collecting  feedbacks from the people on the draft constitution is one of the most democratic ways of letting the people express their wills on the issues. Reports at the seminar focused on the most effective way of  collecting people’s opinions and their concerns, so the new constitution matches public’s aspirations.

Professor Tran Ngoc Duong, who played a key role in drawing up the 1992 Constitution, stressed that public opinion should be gathered openly and democratically. He said that the major content of the revised constitution should be made public and every opinion should be considered. Meanwhile, Doctor Nguyen Nhu Phat urged to stick to the principle of upholding the people’s sovereignty reflected in the Constitution, saying the people’s consultation on the Constitution was basic right for citizens. Some foreign experts introduced international experiences, including those from South Africa and some mature democracies, on the procedures of collecting public opinion on the draft constitution.