[Vnbiz] Hanoi must make choices

Sat Jul 14 21:52:18 PDT 2007

Dear Family:

I have been busy trying to settle in and do hope to see everyone soon; will
have a dinner party where I cook and any are welcome.  But I digress and
I reply to this thread, because of Serge's use of the term. "Dear Family",
how great, I hope he won't mind were I to borrow it in the future.

Pollution, haphazard development, erosion, worsening water conditions,
dirtier air, polluting aqua-culture techniques (basa, shrimp farming), the
destruction of natural resources (sites that cannot be regenerated)  for the
development of tourism, the development of business, the development of
wealth for some and perhaps, even, opportunities for others.

These issues are both serious and one would think that the solutions may be
difficult; to get the many who must participate in any solution an
intractable/impossible process.

I believe that the question here where culturally such great exceptionalism,
great power distance, the acceptance of that distance exists we have a
doubly difficult problem.  How to convince one to do what is "right" when
others can gain exception?.How to convince another who can be excepted to do
what is right because others have and will gain exception (again).

How to convince, how to enable others, to retrofit their modes of
transportation, their houses, their lives, their businesses as they focus on
survival, the future of their children, and similar. How to do it not just
in Viet Nam but elsewhere, many wheres, how?  How to get a human who for
thousands of years has often, if not mostly, done what was perceived in his
immediate interest.  These are the great questions attempted, but failed to
be answered by many great people, philosphers, and simply concerned people
down through the ages.

It's funny for me it's a circle. Bringing the discussion back to Vietnam, I
wonder how, again.
The government installs a tax for people over a certain income.  This should
help to raise funds for many needed programs and perhaps work to reform the
bureaucracy. Few are honest in declaring their incomes as others are
dishonest in creating their incomes.  The one says why should I pay such
taxes, it won't change how things happen.  The other, might say, how can a
few more pennies in my pocket, rather than my current method for attracting
income and wealth, allow me to take care of my family, create their future.
All say, it won't change because the other won't change.  It's a circle.

How?
 Yes to more public and mass transportation;
Yes to cleaner motorbikes
Yes to these things.
Yes to sustainable aqua-culture techniques.  Yes, Yes, Yes.

But it always comes back to the same thing:

First, would be for honesty and a focus on others, the actual collective,
interest
Before that how can the other tough decisions be made.

This is a problem faced everywhere. In Vietnam it is very important as we
hope for the
development of a country and for that development to positively impact the
lives of the people
on the street as is necessary for stability, especially, where such large
numbers of young people exist. A better life is their right, and the way
things currently function, a better life is difficult to accomplish. How?
Simply for some, no all, to except their self-interest for the collective
interest. But that is a very big HOW?

Craig

What of the street vendors that use coal across Vietnamese cities to cook
the food they sell to a hungry public? What would happen were they to be
outlawed? More expensive food? A futrther hardship on the people, both
businesses

On 7/14/07, Tran Dinh Hoanh <tdhoanh at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> [ Vietnam Business Forum ]
>
>
>
> Dear Serge & Brothers/Sisters,
>
> Very interesting question, brother Serge.  Who would want to slow down
> development?  I think we all know the answer:  No one.  It is impossible to
> convince someone, least of all a developing country that is trying to get
> out of poverty, to slow down development. It is a losing position to try to
> convince people to slow down development.
>
> Instead of trying to slow down, we must think about taking care of the
> environment as development goes.  The truth of the matter is that in many
> big cities of the world we have always had horrendous traffic jam and air
> pollution, regardless how governments have tried to open new road and impose
> stricter car exhaust standards.  That testifies to the natural fact that
> development will always go one step ahead of environmental cleanup, just
> like at home, we cook and eat and throw garbage around before we do house
> cleaning.
>
> So instead of trying to convince governments to slow down development, we
> need to constantly come up with environment-friendly development ideas, like
> focusing on eco-tourism and keeping the envrionment green instead of hotel
> blocks and booze and gambling; focusing on public transportation like subway
> and buses;  enforcing environmental regulations on factories, focusing on
> waste management, running a constant "clean and beautiful city campaign,"
> etc.
>
> In this kind of task, it would be wise for environment advocates to work
> with tourism and public health authorities (because environment directly
> affects tourism and public health), self-help groups of citizens with
> serious environment problems (such as communities adversely affected by a
> major factory), consumer advocacy groups (who would be able to organize
> campaigns to boycott environmentally abusive companies) and industry leaders
> (who understand the wishes of a consuming public who is constantly getting
> smarter by the time).
>
> Instead of taking the position of "environment versus development," we
> need to take the position of "environment-unfriendly development versus
> environment friendly development."
>
> Have a great day!
>
> Hoanh
>
> On 7/14/07, Serge Doussantousse <sergefabali at yahoo.fr> wrote:
>
> > [Vietnam Public Health Forum]
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Dear Family,
> >
> >
> >
> > I am always puzzled by such title: "Hanoi must make choices" But the
> > question is *who, what is **Hanoi* ... Economist, Publicist, Law Makers,
> > UN officials Consumers, Citizens... are promoting / avid a kind of
> > Development at all cost and there is not forum and space for alternatives...
> > You ask the same people who are in power to do the opposite they were
> > advocating 10-15 years ago... Can they do it... Do they want?... Not sure…
> >
> >
> >
> > Thanks for the story…
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Serge Doussantousse
> > Research Consultant
> > tel: 020 2418398
> > home 856 21-21 41 49 19
> > Vientiane-- Lao PDR
> >
> > --
> > Tran Dinh Hoanh, LLB, JD
> > Washington DC
> >
>
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