It can be said that, in the first two weeks of 2025, society has already felt the blow from General Secretary To Lam’s new policies.
Currently, traffic is both paralyzed and chaotic; businesses are miserable; people are always in a state of tension and fear; and the economy is exhausted. Red light traps cause year-end shipments to be delayed and stuck, making difficulties even more difficult.
According to some internal sources telling thoibao.de, the Central Committee’s Commission on Propaganda and Education is instructing the domestic press not to open their mouths to complain about the current miserable situation of Vietnamese society but let To Lam to continue to implement these policies that harm the people and the country.
Immediately after becoming General Secretary, To Lam launched two major policies. Both were covered in beautiful colors, which are: Heavy fines to restore traffic safety and order; and streamline the government apparatus to reduce budget spending and operate more effectively.
However, hidden under those noble covers are extremely dirty purposes. A victim fined for passing a red light said that their mistake was fined VND20 million ($1,800), but if they were fined without a ticket, they would only have to pay VND10 million. Thus, the price of a fine without a ticket is agreed upon, high or low is negotiated by the two parties – the traffic police and the violators.
State-controlled media reported that in the first week of fines under Decree 168, the Ho Chi Minh City government collected more than VND42 billion. This is only the amount of fines with tickets. In reality, the amount of money people are fined is much larger, and no one can control it. Fines without tickets are the part that To Lam and Minister of Public Security Luong Tam Quang reward the traffic police. Of course, a large part of it is used to pay tribute to the higher-ups, in order to protect power. At the top of the power pyramid in the Ministry of Public Security, To Lam and Luong Tam Quang will seize this endless source of money. That is the true nature of Decree 168.
However, the amount of money that the two guys and the entire police apparatus earn is only a very small compared to the economic damage and psychological burden that the whole society is suffering. No organization has yet compiled statistics, and if there are, they certainly will not be made public in the press. But the gloomy picture of these days before Tet has partly reflected the consequences of the policies implemented by To Lam and his peoples.
The fear of To Lam has made all state-controlled newspapers cautious. Many newspapers are also being dissolved by To Lam. Using the policy of merging press agencies to eliminate “difficult” elements, retaining flatterers, to serve his policies in the long term. Therefore, the damage caused by To Lam’s policies has not been accurately and truthfully reflected. Therefore, it is very difficult to stop these chaotic policies.
The current streamlining policy is also causing chaos within the Party. Low-ranking officials are confused and chaotic, like a flock of ducks. At the high level, many opposing factions have appeared, so it is very difficult to streamline personnel, only the number of departments can be streamlined, in form. It is foreseeable that this policy will cause great turmoil but will not reduce the size of the apparatus as desired. This may even make the already stagnant apparatus even more stagnant.
To Lam was a police general, only good at using force to bully people, but has no knowledge of governing the country. Therefore, even though he issued a seemingly “revolutionary” policy, he could not create any new wind.
Tran Chuong – Thoibao.de
