Sparks may fly over Viet Cabinet reshuffle
PM's move to promote minister ruffles feathers of party stalwarts
By Roger Mitton, Vietnam Correspondent
 

HANOI - VIETNAM'S ruling communist leaders will meet today to finalise a major Cabinet overhaul that has threatened to expose divisions at the top.

The personnel changes sought by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who completes a year in office tomorrow, have ruffled the feathers of some party stalwarts.

In particular, his proposal to elevate a close southern colleague, Education Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan, to become a deputy prime minister (DPM) has caused problems.

The Harvard-educated Mr Nhan is among the most qualified and articulate members of the Cabinet, but he has only been a full minister for one year.

More to the point, Vietnam already has three DPMs. If Mr Nhan is promoted, that would make four.

A senior party official told The Straits Times: 'Mr Dung said that he wants to reduce the size of the Cabinet. But if he does that and also increases the number of deputy prime ministers, it will look inconsistent. It will send the wrong message.'

To avoid the inconsistency, party sources said it was suggested that one of the present DPMs be shifted to another post so that the total number of deputy leaders would remain at three.

The one targeted to be moved is Mr Nguyen Sinh Hung, often viewed as the senior DPM, although Mr Dung has said that the current trio of deputies are of equal stature.

Party sources said that Mr Hung was being considered for the post of deputy chairman of the National Assembly, Vietnam's legislature.

But such a move would be a marked demotion for such a high-ranking politburo member.

Indeed, Mr Hung's supporters in the party, notably his Nghe An provincial colleague and fellow politburo member, Mr Ho Duc Viet, are said to have opposed the move.

And Mr Viet's opposition may be critical as he heads the party commission that rules on key personnel changes.

So, in the party's central committee meeting scheduled to begin today, Mr Viet will likely prevent Mr Hung's demotion and thus force the Prime Minister to choose between having four DPMs or reneging on his plan to promote Mr Nhan.

Either way, the two-day meeting is likely to be testy, and some egos may be deflated.

Party members will certainly want to know the rationale behind the plan to elevate Mr Nhan.

Structurally, while the ruling Communist Party is always deeply conservative, it is also very forward-looking.

When unusual promotions are made, it is usually a signal that someone is being groomed for a specific future post.

Whether that is true for Mr Nhan is not clear, but many expect that he will stay in the education portfolio for another two years at most.

While sparks may fly in today's meeting over the Cabinet reshuffle, there is little doubt there will be enthusiastic unity in praising President Nguyen Minh Triet's visit to the United States last week.

Two years ago, when the overture to Washington was first mooted, there was resistance among conservative diehards.

And right up to Mr Triet's departure, there were those who thought it was premature to boost ties with the US, which had fought a long and bitter war with Vietnam and which had recently been lambasting Hanoi over its human rights record.

But Mr Triet's visit, during which many business deals with American companies were finalised, was seen to be successful and had been praised repeatedly in the Vietnamese domestic media.

rogermitton@hotmail.com