Thunderbolt from Thieu

In the wake of Communist gains in the Easter offensive, South Viet Nam's National Assembly last June reluctantly granted President Nguyen Van Thieu the power to rule by decree for six months. Thieu lost no time in issuing a series of tough decrees that, among other things, increased the income tax rate, set the death penalty for certain crimes, including kidnaping and heroin dealing, subjected some religious groups to the draft, and ordered Saigon's 40 newspapers to deposit 20 million piasters ($46,-512) each as security against government fines or libel suits.

The eleventh and latest decree, quietly issued in August over the largely ceremonial signature of Premier Tran Thien Khiem, came to light last week. It is potentially the most important yet and, in the opinion of many critics, destroys any semblance of grass-roots democracy left in South Viet Nam.

What Thieu has done is abolish elections in Viet Nam's 10,626 hamlets. Henceforth province chiefs, all of whom are appointed by Saigon, will choose hamlet officials. The province chiefs will also appoint--without the approval of elected village councils, which has heretofore been required --the staff and administrative officers in every hamlet and village in the country. The effect of the decree is to extend Thieu's control right down to the level where most Vietnamese make their most immediate--and sometimes their only--contact with government.

Saigon explains the abolition of hamlet elections as a means of tightening administration and providing more effective services. But, as usual in Viet Nam, the real explanation is more complex. Since the Easter offensive began, a number of hamlet chiefs have made accommodations with the Communists. The new decree will permit Thieu to appoint more loyal replacements. More important, this decree, along with the others, will strengthen his hand for the rough-and-tumble politicking that undoubtedly would follow a cease-fire (the North Vietnamese have repeatedly insisted that any cease-fire agreement must include Thieu's removal). Indeed, Thieu has secretly appointed a commission to prepare bargaining positions for his government in ceasefire negotiations.

The U.S. Government, which claims it was not consulted in advance on Thieu's thunderbolt, nevertheless tried to put a good face on the situation. In Washington, State Department Spokesman Charles W. Bray conceded the need for stability "at the extreme local level" during the offensive. Other Americans were less sanguine, pointing out that democracy in South Viet Nam has usually been mere window dressing for the benefit of Westerners. All Thieu has done now, said one Foreign Service officer at the U.S. embassy in Saigon, is to "take the glove off the iron fist."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.