Although it may be often taken for granted, those loyal to the Emperor and the Nguyen Dynasty have never forgotten the plebiscite of 1955 that saw His Imperial Majesty Bao Dai deposed by the former mandarin Ngo Dinh Diem who assumed the role of first president of South Vietnam. This act had dire consequences, not only for the Nguyen Dynasty, but for all of Vietnam and the future of democracy in Southeast Asia since Diem's republican regime was doomed to failure from the very start. Much blame has been heaped on Emperor Bao Dai when in fact his hands were tied by superpowers across two oceans.
First of all, it was nothing less than treasonous for Diem to have arranged the vote at all. While having an audience with Emperor Bao Dai in France, on June 18, 1954 the monarch had placed his Catholic Prime Minister before a crucifix and asked him to swear an oath of obedience to him as well as to defend Vietnam from the communists and even the French if need be. There, in front of the supreme symbol of his professed faith Diem promised his loyalty and faithfulness to his Emperor, all while he was planning to take his throne away and usurp power for himself. By holding the plebiscite at all Diem was guilty of breaking his sworn word to the Son of Heaven. You may ask though, why was Bao Dai in France rather than in South Vietnam? The simple answer is foreign pressure. The French had promised independence for Vietnam if Bao Dai agreed to return as Emperor. Once in Saigon it soon became clear that the colonial officials had no intention of keeping this promise. Bao Dai went into a self-imposed exile where he vowed to stay until France agreed to stop controling his government. There was also the matter that the United States had made it clear they supported Diem rather than the Emperor, a fact Eisenhower made clear when Bao Dai voiced concerns about his Prime Minister's loyalty. The United States was also fully aware that the upcoming vote would not be a democratic one, even suggesting by what percent Diem needed to win in order to look most authentic.
As to the actual referendum itself, Diem's henchmen controled the entire process. An American, General Edward G. Lansdale, came up with the idea of printing ballots for Diem in red, the color of good luck, while printing those for the Emperor in green, the color of misfortune. A villager near the Holy Citadel of Hue said that the voting officials instructed them to put the red ballots in the envelopes and throw the green ones in the trash. However, some brave souls who remained faithful to their Emperor refused to do this and after leaving the polling station were attacked by Diem's men. Loyalists were tortured by having pepper sauce poured down their nostrils, water forced down their throats and as one villager said, were beaten "to a pulp". The result was an embarassingly high 98.2% in favor of Diem for president, a number so high that it was clear this had not been a democratic decision, precisely why the Americans had suggested he fix the election so as to win by only 60 or 70%.
This was only the first of many autocratic methods employed by the Vietnamese republic before Diem was assassinated by his own military. However, it has been proven beyond doubt that the overthrow of the Imperial monarchy and the Nguyen Dynasty was undemocratic, immoral and totally unfair and illegal. The voice of the public was never heard and though we are told most favored an end to the imperial system anyway this cannot be believed. Why then were there riots in the streets of Saigon calling for the return of Emperor Bao Dai? Why did both Ngo Dinh Diem and Ho Chi Minh try to appear as the Emperor's friends if His Majesty was so unpopular? And, why was it neccessary for Diem to go to such extreme and dishonest lengths to ensure his victory at the polls if Bao Dai had no chance of being chosen fairly? The only conclusion is the fact that a great many Vietnamese still viewed the Emperor as their legitimate and traditional leader and despite all the propoganda continued to revere Bao Dai for his efforts to make Vietnam a better nation. The monarchy simply was, is and will always remain the best choice for bringing prosperity and freedom to Dai Nam. |
