General concept of democracy
According to the content of political democracy, democracy is a separate category in the political field. Democracy is a form of state, one of the forms of state. Democracy is a social value of universal humanity.
Democracy is a historical category. According to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, democracy is an inevitable means for people to achieve freedom, to fully liberate the inherent capacities of each individual, that is, human rights are guaranteed and fully implemented. The basic characteristic of democracy is that all citizens have the right to participate in political life, the highest power of the country belongs to the representatives of the people; all citizens have equal rights before the law.
Under the slave and feudal regimes, the ideology of theocracy and harsh class distinctions deprived the people of their freedom and democracy. The bourgeoisie overthrew the monarchical autocracy, established the parliamentary system, universal suffrage, two-party system (or multi-party system), separation of powers, equality..., these are the main contents of bourgeois democracy. Bourgeois democracy is built on the basis of negating the feudal autocracy, therefore, in the general development of history, it has made positive contributions, showing certain progress. However, bourgeois democracy is built on the basis of private ownership of the means of production, only big capitalists are the ones who play the decisive role, which also means that democracy never belongs to the general people. Therefore, socialist democracy is truly a superior democracy, more developed than bourgeois democracy.
The history of democratic development in human society proves that each country has the right to choose a suitable democratic regime, not necessarily imitating the democratic regime of another country. The democratic regime of a country is suitable to the historical, cultural, political and economic characteristics of each country, and at the same time needs to be constantly improved and developed. A superior and genuine democracy is only when it is chosen by the people themselves and the people's right to mastery, human rights and civil rights are respected and protected. Practice proves that the Western political regime is also full of injustice and violations of democracy, not "perfect", unlike what many people still praise and glorify (?!). On the contrary, some countries have paid a high price for copying the Western democratic model, leading to instability, even falling into a spiral of crisis and prolonged civil war.
Raising awareness and promoting socialist democracy in our country
Implementing people's democracy is a consistent requirement of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Since its founding, the Communist Party of Vietnam has always emphasized the people's right to mastery. President Ho Chi Minh affirmed that democracy means "the people are the masters" and "the people are the masters", revolution is the cause of the masses, the masses are the driving force of revolution. The masses are the most numerous revolutionary force directly implementing the revolutionary line, turning the Party's revolutionary line into reality. He said, in the sky there is nothing more precious than the people, "Our country is a democratic country, the highest position belongs to the people, because the people are the masters" (1). Right from the first days of gaining power for the people after the August Revolution in 1945, our Party and President Ho Chi Minh affirmed: “OUR COUNTRY IS A DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY./ All benefits are for the people./ All powers belong to the people./ The work of innovation and construction is the responsibility of the people./ The cause of resistance and nation building is the work of the people./ The government from the commune to the Central Government is elected by the people./ The organizations from the Central to the commune are organized by the people./ In short, power and strength are with the people ” (2). In leading the revolutionary struggle, through the national liberation revolution and then the people's democratic revolution, the socialist revolution, our Party has always focused on building a socialist democratic regime, ensuring the people's democratic rights in all areas of social life. The 6th Party Congress emphasized the policy of promoting democracy to create a strong driving force for national development: “In all its activities, the Party must thoroughly grasp the idea of “taking the people as the root”, building and promoting the mastery of the working people” (3). Promoting the spirit of the 6th Congress, the following congresses also emphasized that “the revolutionary cause is of the people, by the people, for the people” and the important task in the revolutionary cause is “building and gradually perfecting socialist democracy, ensuring that power belongs to the people”. In the process of innovation, our Party always emphasizes that people being the master is the essence of socialism, firmly upholds the principle that all state power belongs to the people, constantly promotes political innovation, builds socialist democracy and has achieved great achievements. The Platform for National Construction in the Transitional Period to Socialism (supplemented and developed in 2011) clearly stated: “ Socialist democracy is the essence of our regime, both the goal and the driving force of national development. Building and gradually perfecting socialist democracy, ensuring that democracy is implemented in real life at every level, in all fields. Democracy is closely linked to discipline and order and must be institutionalized by law and guaranteed by law” (4).
The basic content of socialist democracy is that all power belongs to the people. The 2013 Constitution stipulates: The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a socialist rule of law state of the people, by the people, for the people. All state power belongs to the people, the foundation of which is the alliance between the working class, the peasantry and the intelligentsia.
In Vietnam, the socialist rule of law state manages and operates the market economy, ensuring the correct socialist orientation. In a socialist-oriented market economy, economic growth is always associated with ensuring fairness, implementing social progress, developing culture, developing people, aiming to improve the material and spiritual life of the people. The democratization process in the economic field is increasingly expanding. Diversifying forms of ownership, economic sectors, types of enterprises... Fairness in distribution according to labor results, economic efficiency, at the same time according to the level of capital contribution and other resources and distribution through the social security and social welfare system. The process of expanding economic democracy is associated with expanding political democracy, increasingly widely and substantially practicing the political power of the people, through both indirect delegation and direct democracy.
The cause of building socialism is the cause of the people. Without the solidarity and creativity of the masses, the cause of building socialism will fail. Democracy is the expression of the core values of socialism, and is the factor that creates stability, development and prosperity.
Grasping and handling well the relationship between the Party's leadership, the State's management, and the people's mastery, on the basis of the rule of law, ensuring the Party's leadership - the decisive factor for all victories of the Vietnamese revolution. People's mastery is the nature of the socialist democratic regime. The rule of law will ensure that all members of society are equal in rights, obligations and responsibilities. The Party is both a component part of the political system and the core of the political system's leadership, and the Party must also operate within the framework of the Constitution and the law. The State of the people, by the people, for the people, led by the Party, has the function of institutionalizing the Party's viewpoints, policies and guidelines into complete and unified legal documents. The people are masters through representative bodies and direct masters through the mechanism of "people know, people discuss, people do, people inspect and supervise".
Our Party's awareness of practicing democracy is increasingly comprehensive and profound. This is most clearly demonstrated in the fact that citizens' rights associated with human rights are promoted, respected and protected by law, actively implementing international conventions related to human rights that Vietnam has signed and participated in; attaching importance to democracy at the grassroots level, attaching importance to social criticism, upholding the rule of law and the Constitution.
Human rights are the dignity, needs, interests and inherent capacities of human beings recognized by law, in order to acknowledge, respect, protect, ensure implementation and promote. Vietnam has built institutions and structures to ensure human rights, especially to increasingly ensure political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights; rights of minorities or vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, women, children, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, people with beliefs and religions. Propaganda, education and research on human rights have made positive progress. Awareness of human rights has been raised. International cooperation in the field of human rights has been promoted. Timely and effectively combat and refute distorted, incorrect and hostile arguments on human rights issues in Vietnam.
Implementing democracy at the grassroots level is a step forward in expanding direct democracy, improving the quality of representative democracy, and bringing the motto "people know, people discuss, people do, people inspect" into life at the grassroots level. Building and implementing the Grassroots Democracy Regulations have actively contributed to promoting economic, cultural and social development, maintaining security and order at the grassroots level, contributing to improving the leadership capacity and fighting strength of grassroots party organizations and the quality of party members; constantly improving the management and operation capacity of state agencies and the responsibility of cadres and civil servants; contributing to innovating the methods of operation and enhancing the role and prestige of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and people's organizations.
Social criticism brings positive results, promotes and expands democracy, and is an important method to achieve social consensus. Create a habit of discussion and ensure freedom of speech to encourage individuals and organizations to participate in discussions on important national issues. Building a socialist rule of law state of the people, by the people, for the people includes social supervision and criticism activities, especially social criticism of the Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations. It is necessary to continue to improve regulations on people's supervision rights, legal mechanisms to ensure people directly supervise the activities of party members, cadres, civil servants, public employees, and Party and State organizations and agencies.
In a state of law, the supremacy of the law is respected, all actions of organizations and individuals must comply with the Constitution and the law. Strengthening socialist legality in all three areas: law-making, law enforcement and law protection. Focusing on building and perfecting a synchronous, modern, feasible, public, transparent, fair legal system..., suitable to the socio-economic development conditions of the country and the requirements of deep international integration.
However, in some places, awareness and practice of democracy are still limited, grassroots democracy is still formal, people's mastery is not fully respected and promoted, and there is no adequate mechanism to ensure that people can exercise their role as the subject of power.
The principle of “collective leadership, individual responsibility” in reality in some places falls into formality. There are also abuses of power, bureaucracy, and authoritarianism that cause trouble for the people by some public agencies and officials. The slow institutionalization of the Party’s policies into laws and regulations... The legal system of Vietnam is still not uniform, often changing, causing difficulties for law enforcement agencies and the people, affecting the practice of democracy in society... Those limitations need to be overcome soon so that the principle of power belongs to the people and the practice of people’s mastery in practice becomes more widespread and substantial.
Over 90 years of revolutionary leadership, our Party has always relied on the people, promoted the people's mastery, and considered it the goal and driving force of the revolution. That is also a valuable lesson for our Party to overcome countless difficulties and challenges, to gain one victory after another. That lesson remains valuable in the process of leading the current process of innovation and global integration./.
------------------------------
(1) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works , National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1995, vol. 6, p. 515
(2) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works , National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1995, vol. 5, p. 698
(3) Documents of the 6th National Congress of Delegates, Truth Publishing House, Hanoi, 1987, p. 29
(4) Documents of the 11th National Congress of Delegates , National Political Publishing House, Truth, Hanoi, 2011, pp. 84 - 85
Source: https://tapchicongsan.org.vn/web/guest/nghien-cu/-/2018/817155/phat-huy-dan-chu-xa-hoi-chu-nghia-o-viet-nam-hien-nay.aspx
![[Photo] Third meeting of the Organizing Subcommittee serving the 14th National Party Congress](https://vstatic.vietnam.vn/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/4/2/3f342a185e714df58aad8c0fc08e4af2)
![[Photo] Relatives of victims of the earthquake in Myanmar were moved and grateful to the rescue team of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense.](https://vstatic.vietnam.vn/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/4/2/aa6a37e9b59543dfb0ddc7f44162a7a7)
![[Photo] Close-up of Vietnam's sniffer dog team searching for earthquake victims in Myanmar](https://vstatic.vietnam.vn/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/4/1/d4949a0510ba40af93a15359b5450df2)
Comment (0)