(VOVworld) – The 6th session of the 13th National Assembly will approve the revisions to the 1992 Constitution, which is an important national issue to serve national reform in concert with the people’s aspiration. But some groups have released appeals, statements, and recommendations to ask the National Assembly to suspend approving the revised 1992 Constitution. Some individuals unfriendly to Vietnam and foreign organizations using the cover of human rights have made unjust claims about Vietnam’s human rights.
28,149 conferences, meetings, and forums were held to collect public opinions to the revised Constitution from January to September, 2013 |
Obsolete arguments
A group of people released a “Civil society statement” asking the National Assembly to suspend the approval of the revised 1992 Constitution, extend the time for discussion, and add contents from other “draft versions” compiled by “radical democrats”.
The Human Rights Watch (HRW) sent an open letter to the Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly to urge Vietnam to ensure international human rights standards in the revised 1992 Constitution. HRW repeated the outdated arguments of forces hostile and unfriendly to Vietnam and criticized amendments in the constitutional revisions for increasing restrictions on some basic rights.
With unjust comments, HRW issued a so-called “important petition” to the Vietnamese National Assembly which demonstrated its arrogant attitude in demanding that the National Assembly of an independent and sovereign nation follow its recommendations.
Revising the Constitution is the Vietnamese people’s will and wish
Article 6 of the 1992 Constitution specifies that the people exercise State power through the National Assembly and the People’s Councils which are representatives of the people’s will and aspirations. They are elected by the people and take responsibility before the people. The 1992 Constitution stipulates that in the process and procedures for building a Constitution, the National Assembly is the sole agency that has constituent and legislative power.
The revision of the 1992 Constitution has abide by this stipulation. Before being submitted to the National Assembly, the Constitutional revision was subjected to a public referendum. From January 1 to September 30, 2013, 26 million recommendations were gathered from agencies, individuals, and organizations including overseas Vietnamese. During this period, 28,149 conferences, meetings, and forums were held to collect public opinions. The recommendations were carefully summarized to deliver to the National Assembly deputies.
Before being submitted to the 6th session of the 13th National Assembly, the Constitutional revisions were amended to reflect the will and aspirations of people of all social strata, comprehensively elaborate the democratic and progressive characteristics of the State and regime in the transitional period to socialism, and specifically define the regime’s politics, economy, culture, education, science and technology, human rights, and fundamental rights and obligations of civilians, and the State apparatus.
No one has the right to decide the Constitution on behalf of the people
In any country, building the Constitution is the people’s prerogative. The revised 1992 Constitution, which the Vietnamese people are building through their highest representative - the National Assembly - projects the nation’s orientations and tasks for the future.
No Constitution can be considered a model for all nations because the Constitution is a foundation of ideology, politics, and law for the existence and development of a State and its regime. Building a Constitution is an internal affair of a nation and the ultimate right of its people. The Constitution of one nation does not apply to others. Vietnam’s revised 1992 Constitution represents the Vietnamese people’s will and aspiration and no individuals and organizations can give themselves the right to take advantage of democracy and human right to sabotage and destroy the Constitution-making process in Vietnam.