VietNamNet Bridge – National Assembly (NA) Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung did not agree with the Minister of Justice’s proposal of postponing the submission of the Demonstration Bill to the upcoming session of the NA.

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung.

Hung said that it was lack of seriousness as the Government kept asking for the postponement of the Demonstration Bill.

“The agenda was decided by the NA and the Politburo also decided to put it (Demonstration Bill) into the agenda but the government kept asking for postponement," the NA Chair said.

He said: "The NA Standing Committee does not agree with the postponement. The Government has not submitted this bill to the NA Standing Committee yet so we have not known anything about its content so how can we agree with the postponement? I think this is an action that shows lack of seriousness."

Many members of the NA Standing Committee also disagreed with the proposal of the Government.

"The right of demonstration is a fundamental right of citizens, which has been mentioned since 1945 and the bill has been postponed many times. If it keeps being postponed, it is absolutely not good in terms of politics," said Chairman of the NA’s Justice Committee Nguyen Van Hien.

Chairman of the NA’s Defence - Security Committee Nguyen Kim Khoa added: "The necessity of this law is so important. I know that the Ministry of Public Security also wanted this law very much to firstly ensure human rights and the rights of citizens in the Constitution, and at the same time ensure security and social order. If we continue to apply Decree 38 to restrict the rights of citizens, it is unconstitutional."

"I think this is the law to ensure human rights, and civil rights, rather than political reform. Some say that until social security and order is ensured, we should have this law but I think it is wrong because we build this law to ensure security and order," Khoa said.

Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong said the Government had assigned the Ministry of Public Security to draft the Bill on Demonstration. At the cabinet meeting in January 2016 the Government discussed the issue, but the opinions of the Government members were divided on the draft law.

"My personal opinion is that the preparation is quite sufficient so the draft law should be submitted to the NA, but my opinion is in the minority," Cuong said.

Earlier, at the NA Standing Committee meeting on February 17 morning, Minister Cuong submitted the Government’s petition to the NA Standing Committee to postpone the submission fo the draft law on demonstration at the upcoming NA session.

At the end of the meeting, NA Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu concluded that the Government would have to present the draft Demonstration Bill to the NA in accordance with the approved agenda (March 2016).

Tran Cham