When mentioning Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Vietnamese people cannot forget the scene where Ha, when he was the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment and his entourage went swimming in Cua Viet, Gio Linh district, Quang Tri province, to prove that the seawater that caused the mass fish deaths was “not toxic.” This is considered an inhumane act, when he was responsible for protecting the environment but went to protect Formosa- the enterprise that destroyed the Vietnamese coastal environment.
It is known that before that, then General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited Formosa, as a guarantee for this enterprise. Based on that, Ha leaned towards Formosa, which was an attitude of “supporting the king” and turning his back on the people.
Indeed, after that, Ha’s political career was guaranteed. Although he was a member of the Ha Tinh group, because he was skillful in “supporting the king,” he still gained the advantage.
When Deputy PMs Pham Binh Minh and Vu Duc Dam were disciplined, Ha surpassed Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi to snatch a position as Deputy PM. Meanwhile, Nghi – despite being supported by his famous father, still could not win the seat. There are sources saying that, at that time, because Trong was “watching” his father former PM Nguyen Tan Dung so Nghi lost his position to Ha.
Deputy PM is a higher position than a minister, however, in terms of the party, Ha is still only a member of the Central Committee. Participating in the ring for “heavyweight boxers” without enough weight is quite dangerous.
The times changed, Trong passed away and former PM Dung rose, urging General Secretary To Lam to implement strong policies. At this time, Ha was stuck in a “battle between elephants.” Lam ordered Minister of Public Security Luong Tam Quang to draft Decree 1168 that harmed the people, and submitted it to trap PM Pham Minh Chinh. Chinh smelled something bad and immediately pushed Ha to sign instead. In a situation where he could not refuse, Ha was forced to sign. And now, he is afraid of being used as a “scapegoat” for the fight between these two the party chief To Lam and the government leader PM Chinh.
Decree 168 is a “suspended sentence” hanging over the head of Deputy PM Ha. A type of legal document drafted by the Ministry of Public Security, but borrowed the hand of the Government to issue. This is not only a way to increase the power of that legal document, but also a political blow aimed at each other. A member of the Party Central Committee is standing on the stage for the “Four Pillars”, Ha is like being in a “sandwich” position.
2025 is the year when the political fractions will fight each other fiercely, in a sprint race on the political stage. Ha is also actively seeking a position as a Politburo member at the 14th National Congress slated in early 2016. However, his ambition is being challenged. Why?
Ha’s position as he used to rely on the Ha Tinh group is no longer there. After Trong passed away, the Ha Tinh group was forced to “shrink” before the Hung Yen group, making Ha weaker than ever. It is difficult to maintain his current position, let alone the ambition to enter the Politburo.
If we have to assign responsibility for Decree 168, perhaps Ha will be brought to justice first. Although everyone knows that it is the product of To Lam and Luong Tam Quang but Ha was the one who signed it. Ha has been hit, now he can only hope that the consequences are not too severe.
Ha’s position as a sandwich is very difficult to escape. As a deputy to PM Chinh, when the government leader asked him to sign on his behalf, he could not help but sign, and that was his fatal flaw.
Then, there may be more attacks, which the To Lam- Luong Tam Quang faction aims at Chinh. Among his deputies, Chinh did not transfer the above document to anyone, but to Ha, which is a big disadvantage.
The closer the time is to the “Partition Congress,” the more likely the dangerous attack will appear. Let’s see, how will Ha respond when is forced to survive between two “war elephants”? Time will tell.
Tran Chuong – Thoibao.de
