Southland’s Vietnamese Test Machinery of Democracy

They’ve only held this once before--a regionwide election for the presidency of the Vietnamese Community of Southern California--but they’ve definitely gotten more savvy.

During the first election two years ago for the leadership of the nonprofit social service organization, which claims to represent the estimated 300,000 Vietnamese Americans in the Southland, organizers had a hard time getting the word out that there was an election and informing voters about the candidates.

Only 5,000 people voted.

But with Sunday’s election approaching, things have changed. There are five polling places from Orange County to the San Fernando Valley, in contrast to just one--in Westminster--in 1994.

The candidates are advertising in local Vietnamese-language publications and on radio stations. They are also getting their names mentioned and their pictures displayed in the newspapers at every possible opportunity.

All this for a two-year term with no pay with an organization whose leadership in the community is questionable at best.

Still, the race--open to Vietnamese Americans over age 18--has attracted interest in the community, if only because it matches two colorful emigres who have taken to sniping at each other to woo voters.

The election also is notable for public debates--because the Vietnamese have never held an election debate before, in the United States or Vietnam.

The emigre community is “still new at this democratic process,” said Cat Tuong Ha, staff writer for the Nguoi Viet Daily newspaper, the largest Vietnamese-language daily in the United States and co-sponsor of Wednesday’s debate. “That there is a debate in which the candidates list what their party stands for shows how far we’ve come.”

To qualify to run, candidates must sign a statement that they oppose the Communist government in Vietnam and that they have never returned, nor do they intend to return, to that country.

The two candidates in this year’s election are the incumbent, Ban Binh Bui, and a newcomer on the Vietnamese American political scene, Ngoc Van Tran, a 49-year-old electronics technician. The major difference between the two is how they would run the organization if elected.

Bui, 56, of Irvine, a businessman who owns three medical offices in the county, wants a centralized organization that would lead the expatriate community without the help of other agencies or government. Tran, of Westminster, envisions a group that would work with Westminster officials and other social, political and business groups in the Little Saigon area to develop common goals.

Fiery and articulate, Bui accuses Tran of trying “to break up and destroy” the community with his candidacy. Mild-mannered but by no means shy, Tran contends that the community is ready for a change.

Bui predicts he will win by “100%.” Tran says he’ll sweep into office “by a landslide.”

Whoever wins will head an organization formed in the late 1980s to protest the communist government in Vietnam. The group held informal elections in 1989 in a supermarket parking lot in Westminster to select leaders. The 1994 election was the first opened to all Vietnamese, not just members of the group. It was also the first time the group tried to create an elaborate campaign and election system that included computerized voter registration.

Over the years, the organization’s purpose has become more social, as volunteers have taught English to hundreds of newly arrived refugees and helped them find jobs. From its headquarters in Westminster, the group also organizes the area’s annual Tet Festival, which celebrates the Vietnamese new year.

Critics question the effectiveness of the group and its leaders’ claim that they represent everyone of Vietnamese descent.

“How can a group really do that?” asked one political observer who fears ostracism if he is identified. “I think it’s great that there are organizations to work with the needs of refugees, but to say they represent anyone is ridiculous.”

The prominent Westminster businessman added: “Vietnamese Americans live in all parts of Southern California. Five polling locations [in Garden Grove, Santa Ana, Canoga Park, Rosemead and Lawndale] aren’t accessible enough.”

The 15-member election oversight committee said it does not have the budget to pay for additional polling places. As it is, the committee expects to spend about $20,000.

But Kieu My Duyen, a Garden Grove businesswoman who is active in the community, said the increase in locations shows that more Vietnamese Americans are interested in the politics of the community, and that the Vietnamese community of Southern California is “representing the community, and representing it adequately.”

Organizers of the election are optimistic that the contrast between Bui and Tran will bring between 15,000 and 20,000 people to the polls.

“The candidates this time have clear-cut differences,” said Ly Khac Le, chairman of the election committee. “People will know exactly what position they’re voting for.”

Yet the candidates are also more alike than they would admit. For one, they both vow to continue their uphill fight against Vietnamese communism and to undermine any emigre who is perceived as supportive of that government. For another, both were active in the South Vietnamese government or the military.

Of the points covered in the debate Wednesday at the Nguoi Viet Daily community room before about 60 people, the candidates’ roles in the war drew the most response. The crowd--mostly middle-aged men--clapped enthusiastically at the candidates’ patriotic declarations.

After moderating the two-hour debate in which Bui assailed Tran for “deliberate character assassination” and Tran chastised Bui for his use of “vitriolic language,” the Nguoi Viet Daily nevertheless wrote: “After the [candidates] presented their party’s platform, we realize that they are more alike than different.”

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On the Ballot

The Vietnamese Community of Southern California will elect a new leader Jan. 21. The nonprofit social service organization, which serves the 300,000 Vietnamese in Southern California, will be headed by one of two candidates:

Ban Binh Bui

* Age: 56

* Residence: Irvine

* Occupation: Owns and manages three medical offices.

* Other activity: Current president of Vietnamese American Community of Southern California; two-year term ends this month.

* Platform: Wants the organization to be the sole leader of the Vietnamese American community.

Ngoc Van Tran

* Age: 49

* Residence: Westminster

* Occupation: Electronics technician for Hughes Aircraft.

* Other activity: Holds office in various Vietnamese expatriate military associations.

* Platform: Wants the organization to work with local municipalities and groups to promote the interests of the Vietnamese American community.

Source: Individual candidates

Researched by LILY DIZON / Los Angeles Times