Dear Representatives of democratic forces and communities,
Compatriots, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Free Vietnam Alliance announces its Roadmap to a Democratic and Developed Vietnam.
Compatriots, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Ending the dictatorship to rebuild Vietnam has been the aspiration of the Vietnamese people in the last several decades. This aspiration has become the call of conscience for each Vietnamese facing the grim reality of the country under the totalitarian regime run by the Vietnamese Communist Party--hungry and desperate population; morally bankrupt society; backwardness and continual falling behind other countries in the region.
Ending the dictatorship to rebuild Vietnam is, therefore, the duty of each and every Vietnamese. All individuals and organizations are equally responsible for the democratization of Vietnam. Successes can only come from the combination of all individual efforts aiming for the common goal of bringing back happiness and prosperity to the Vietnamese people.
In that spirit, the Free Vietnam Alliance announces its Roadmap to a Democratic and Developed Vietnam as a foundation for its campaign to build a common front around the democratic forces to pressure the Vietnamese Communist Party into a gradual removal of the restrictions on democracy and human rights; and to create a pluralistic political environment as a prerequisite to the nation's transformation from the current dictatorship to a true democracy.
As an organization of freedom and democracy advocates, the Free Vietnam Alliance believes the viewpoints and directions suggested in this document are not only the aspiration of its members but also the desire of the majority of Vietnamese. The first and foremost condition to carry out the democratization of Vietnam is not the details of methodology, but the solidarity among the democratic forces. Only when this cooperation is achieved can the democratic cause be advanced effectively and quickly in Vietnam.
With firm belief in the strength and resolve of the Vietnamese people and solid trust in the final victory of our just cause, at this announcement ceremony of the Roadmap to a Democratic and Developed Vietnam, on December 13, 1997 in Berlin, the Free Vietnam Alliance earnestly calls on Vietnamese compatriots, Vietnamese democratic forces, Vietnamese intellectuals and professionals, and Vietnamese youth inside and outside Vietnam to:
1. Exchange viewpoints and proposals to solve the problems in Vietnam; Find common denominators for unity and cooperation.
Even though we all have the same goal of ending the dictatorship to rebuild Vietnam, every problem facing the nation can have more than one solution, depending on the viewpoints of each group and individual. All of these solutions should be disseminated widely so Vietnamese inside and outside the country can hold constructive discussion on these ideas. In so doing, we can complement one another and further identify opportunities for cooperation. The Free Vietnam Alliance would be glad to receive constructive comments and suggestions to our Roadmap to a Democratic and Developed Vietnam.
2. Support the struggle of compatriots in the homeland to expand the network of democratic forces inside and outside the country.
The uprising of peasants in Thai Binh in April, the protest of Catholics in Xuan Loc in November, and dozens of labor strikes in 1997 are the clear signs of major changes in the democratic movement in Vietnam. This is a favorable time to extend the ranks of the democratic forces across the divider between Vietnamese inside and outside the country. Using the multi-stage plan proposed in the FVA Roadmap, the joint-democratic forces can lead these uprisings and protests into a nationwide democratization effort. Specifically, each Vietnamese community overseas can establish a committee to assist the struggle of our compatriots in Vietnam for civil rights and better living conditions, and support the cooperation between the democratic forces inside and outside the country.
3. Maintain our resolve to struggle against the dictatorship and build a strong and cohesive overseas Vietnamese community.
Even though its power has been severely eroded, the Vietnamese Communist Party continues to hang on to power, using various facades and measures to suppress the population. More than ever before, we must maintain our resolve to remove the dictatorship no matter what form the Vietnamese Communist Party mutates the appearance of the regime. Specifically, we must build together a cohesive overseas Vietnamese community that can effectively dissolve any attempt by the communist regime to undermine our community and our solidarity in this struggle.
4. Prepare the necessary conditions to transform the country from the current dictatorship to a pro-development democracy.
Decades of rule by the Vietnamese Communist Party have left Vietnam with enormous problems--lawlessness, corruption, smuggling, severe gap between rich and poor--that will form a significant barrier for the nation's transition to a democracy. Therefore, Vietnamese inside and outside Vietnam must prepare, even in the current phase of the struggle, the necessary measures to solve these problems and limit their harmful effects. Specifically, Vietnamese professionals, young and old, should invest their talent and knowledge in studying the measures needed for the transitional period and the long term development of the country.
Compatriots, Ladies and Gentlemen,
With our sincere hearts toward Vietnam, with our unselfish contribution to the country, and with the joint responsibility among the democratic forces, the dictatorial machinery of the Vietnamese Communist Party shall be dismantled. The nation of Vietnam shall be renewed and the Vietnamese people shall proudly develop their country along with the rest of the world in the 21st century.
Thai Binh has awaken. Dong Nai is rising. The whole country shall stand up and walk together on the road to a democratic and developed Vietnam.
Let's all rise up. Let's stand with Vietnamese at home and around the world to bring this struggle to a victory.
Let's all rise! Let's make history: End The Dictatorship - Renew Vietnam.
Berlin, December 13, 1997
Free Vietnam Alliance