VietNamNet Bridge – National Assembly (NA) deputy Nguyen Van Tien of Tien Giang Province has proposed to mention Hoang Sa (Paracels) and Truong Sa (Spratlys) archipelagoes in the preamble of the Constitution.

NA deputy Nguyen Van Tien of Tien Giang Province. (Photo: TN)

“Each three terms, the NA considers amendment to the Constitution, so we need to anticipate what will happen in the next 10 years. The history will review the role of the 13rd NA so I expect that we will have extended insight."

Based on this view, deputy Tien asked the NA to add new contents to the draft amended Constitution. Tien said that it is necessary to add Hoang Sa, Truong Sa and territory to the preamble of the Constitution.

Tien also recommended turning the State Bank of Vietnam and the General Statistics Office into independent institutions. Tien explained that after the State Audit Agency became an affiliate of the NA, almost no NA deputies have complained about the data given by this agency. Meanwhile, data provided by the statistics agency has always caused controversy, especially in this session.

In the discussion this morning, deputy Do Ngoc Nien of Binh Thuan recommended to add the regulations on building modern, regular army to the Constitution, skipping the period of gradually building as being specified in the draft Constitution.

According to Nien, the addition of this provision will determine the positive orientation of protecting independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, protecting the Party, State and people and the socialist regime. He said that the current situation in the region and the world poses potential risks of instability so each country has to prepare in many ways.

"We've gone through wars and we understand the pain of loss but it does not mean that we always have to be persistent to peaceful solutions. Building a modern army is not encouraging an arms race or threatening anyone but it is to prepare for self-defense, protection and enforcement duties when the fatherland and the people need," he said.

NA deputies also spent time to discuss two major contents of the Constitution - the local government and economic sectors.

Refers to the economic sectors, deputy Vu Tien Loc of Thai Binh recommended to add businessmen to the components of the basic coalition.

According to Loc, not mentioning the key role of the state economic sector in the economy is appropriate because competition must be equal under the law. It is hard to say that this economic sector is dominant and others are not. The fact also shows that the state economic sector has many problems. Besides, Vietnam is in the process of negotiations to integrate into international economic organizations.

"We are persuading other countries to recognize Vietnam’s market economy but the Constitution--noting the state economic sector with the key role will cause difficulties in the negotiation process," said Loc.

However, many other deputies argued that it is needed to keep the state economic sector’s key role because denying the leading role of the state-owned economy will make difficulties in determining the development objectives in the future.

TN