VietNamNet Bridge - "I suggest that the people elect the President to add value to the rule of the people's vote," said Prof. Le Mau Han at the conference of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, with the presence of President Truong Tan Sang.

 

President Truong Tan Sang (middle) at the conference.

The VFF on March 27 held a conference to collect comments of scholars, intellectuals, lawyers, representatives of ethnic minorities and religious leaders on the draft amendments to the Constitution. President Truong Tan Sang attended the workshop.

Speaking at the conference, President Truong Tan Sang praised the VFF’s efforts in collecting people’s opinions on the draft Constitution. So far the VFF has received about 8 million comments. The front is processing the comments to send to the concerned agencies.

President Sang said that the collection of comments must be based on the principle of building the Constitution that reflects the wishes of the Party and the people.

"Our goal is to have a Constitution that the whole Party and people are satisfied with," stressed the President. The change of the constitution to Constitution 2013 would be considered later, he added.

"I will come back to hear more comments from you. Perhaps we will actively order the VFF’s comments on some unclear issues," said the President.

The participants contributed a lot of opinions on the issues such as giving more power to the President, the Article 4 of the Constitution on the role and position of the Communist Party, power control and the people’s right to appeal the decision of the National Assembly, etc.

Ass. Prof of history Le Mau Han suggested that the people elect the President to add value to the rule of the people's votes.

Prof. Quach Sy Hung, from the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, added that the Constitution should open up a milestone, a new era of democracy; it is the direct democratic right of people.

 

 

Ass. Prof of history Le Mau Han.

"If the people only elect the National Assembly, the People’s Council, their right is still limited. If the positions such as the President, the Chair of the governments at all levels are elected by the people, democratic atmosphere will be more open. The people vote and the people have the right to supervise," Hung said.

Mr. Dang Van Khoa, a VFF member, stressed, it is necessary to give more power to the President. Specifically, the power of the Constitutional Council, headed by the President, should be strengthened.

Some attendants also endorsed the idea that the President is the head of the Constitutional Council.

Venerable Thich Duc Thien, deputy general secretary of the Vietnam Buddhist Shangha, said that the Constitutional Council should be renamed the Constitutional Committee, led by the President. This committee must be independent like the court, to make decisions on the right-wrong issues in the implementation of the laws of the country. At the same time, the rights of the President on national issues should be increased.

Le Nhung