The Frog and The Ox, the modern version

Post date: Mar 26, 2019 2:26:35 AM

Hung M. La

“Some reflections on the role and mission of ICCVS by Vinh Dao”, too many fallacies

Illustration by Sara Gianassi

“Some reflections on the role and mission of ICCVS” is the title of a pdf document circulated on the Net written by Vinh Dao. A copy of this document could be read here. Its properties show that the pdf was printed on February 26, 2019.

The three-page article also has a subtitle, “Who are we? Why “ICCVS is not recognized by WOSM” is a fallacious argument?” The author included six attachments and four photographs to support his arguments.

The article is divided into five sections: 1/ The creation of ICCVS, 2/ What have we done? 3/ Why “ICCVS is not recognized by WOSM” is a fallacious argument, 4/ Our relations with BSA, and 5/ What happens with the Orange County Council?

There are numerous fallacies in the article.

The creation of ICCVS, its non-legal status, and its contradiction | Missing the point

First, in “The creation of ICCVS” as written by Vinh Dao the ICCVS’s founding members dropped the words “in exiled” from and added the word “International” to the name to the name proposed by Laszlo Nagy, then Secretary General of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). “Central Committee of Vietnamese Scouting in Exile” (CCVSE) became “International Central Committee of Vietnamese Scouting” (ICCVS) in 1983. The precise English name proposed for the single interlocutor hoped for by WOSM had become very vague and self-aggrandizing.

Worse, Vinh Dao deliberately avoids mentioning the Vietnamese name of the ICCVS. As the ICCVS translated their English name into Vietnamese, it became a tragedy – “Hội đồng Trung ương Hướng đạo Việt Nam” – the name of the highest governing body of the Boy Scouts Association of Vietnam, a then defunct NSO in the country of origin. By this very dishonest and misleading translation, suddenly, the committee for scouts in exile became the national council of a defunct NSO. Even though Laszlo Nagy did write,

“For various reasons we cannot and will not recognize any exile group representing their country of origin or the Boy Scouts Association of Vietnam.”

ICCVS’s Vietnamese name showed the very questionable motive of the founding members when they dropped the word “in exiled” out of the committee name suggested by Laszlo Nagy. At best, the Vietnamese translation (or name) of the ICCVS is indeed a fraud with respect to the whole Vietnamese diaspora in the world; at worst, it could be a total betrayal to the scouting values and the Vietnamese Scouting history.

Second, for many years after its creation, the ICCVS had no legal status anywhere in the world including the USA where it was created in Costa Mesa, CA on July2-3, 1983.

In 1997, for the first time, a company registered in Texas under the Vietnamese name of the ICCVS, “Hoi Dong Trung Uong – Huong Dao Viet Nam (HDTU-HDVN) Inc.”; Vinh Dao, a French citizen residing in France, was one of the initial three members of its Board of Directors.

Article III of the Articles of Incorporation of the above-mention corporation stated:

“The Corporation is formed to promote friendship, solidarity, and mutual assistance among former Vietnamese Boy and Girl Scouts living in the United States of America; to preserve and enhance Vietnamese culture, tradition and custom through cultural and community activities.”

Therefore, this Hoi Dong Trung Uong – Huong Dao Viet Nam (HDTU-HDVN) Inc. has nothing to do with active scouts of Vietnamese heritage the United States of America or anywhere else in the world. Furthermore, on July 8, 2005, the charter/certificate of the corporation called “Hoi Dong Trung Uong – Huong Dao Viet Nam (HDTU-HDVN) Inc.” was forfeited by Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams.

On February 2, 2007, the International Central Committee of Vietnamese Scouting (ICCVS) registered for the first time as a corporation in Virginia, USA. Article II of the Articles of Incorporation of this corporation stated in part:

“The corporation is organized and will be operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes, including, for such purposes, the elimination of prejudice and discrimination, the defense of human and civil rights secured by law...”

The stated purposes of this corporation are clearly having nothing to do with Vietnamese scouting anywhere in the world as a part of its name indicates. For its failure to file the annual report and to pay the annual registration fee as required by law, ICCVS corporation status was terminated at the end of June 2012[1].

Vinh Dao wrote,

“The mission of this Committee would be to encourage and coordinate the registration of Scouts of Vietnamese origin in their respective host countries.”

On the contrary, the missions of both Hoi Dong Trung Uong – Huong Dao Viet Nam (HDTU-HDVN) Inc. and the International Central Committee of Vietnamese Scouting (ICCVS) in Virginia had nothing to “encourage and coordinate the registration of Scouts of Vietnamese origin in their respective host countries.”

What has ICCVS done? | Post hoc (false cause), Hasty generalization, Slippery slope, Ad populum, Appeal to ignorance

Vinh Dao claims that many scouts of Vietnamese origin join the movement in many NSO because of the ICCVS. At best it is an inflated claim.

First, even before ICCVS even existed, Scout Groups of Vietnamese origin had been in operation within some National Scout Organisation (NSO). For example, the Boy Scouts of Canada issued Charter No. 813 to the Vietnam Scout Group in Montreal on May 28, 1980. (now Scouts Canada.) Regardless of the ICCVS, it is still in continuous operation.

With about 350,000 (2014) French of Vietnamese origin in France, ICCVS presently has one affiliated scout group. It is noteworthy that France is the country where Vinh Dao, multiterm Chair (1993-2002) of the ICCVS, is a residing citizen. Also, with 294,798 (2016) Australians of Vietnamese origin, there is zero scout group of Vietnamese origin affiliated with the ICCVS. That reality shows how well ICCVS has encouraged and coordinated the registration of Scouts of Vietnamese origin in some of their respective host countries[2].

Ten first Thang Tien Jamborees out of eleven had been realized by local scout groups of Vietnamese origin with much moral and material support from the local council and the NSO of the host countries.

“National Vietnamese Scouting Committee” (NVSC) is a committee of the BSA, officially and obviously established by the BSA not by somebody as Vinh Dao speculates. Its purpose is to assist and foster Scouting to members of the Vietnamese communities in the USA. In other words, BSA realizes her responsibility toward her membership in her jurisdiction. BSA has no need to eliminate any entity external of its organization such as the ICCVS.

ICCVS and WOSM & APR | Post hoc (false cause), Hasty generalization, Weak analogy, Appeal to authority, Ad populum, Ad hominem, Appeal to ignorance

Vinh Dao stated that “Why “ICCVS is not recognized by WOSM” is a fallacious argument.”

Not so fast!

Is ICCVS a committee created by WOSM? No

In his writings, Vinh Dao mentioned Kim Kyu-Young, Director of the Asia-Pacific Region of the World Scout Bureau attending Thang Tien V in Sydney, Australia. and Thang Tien VI in Fairfax, Virginia and chose not to mention a grave concern that Kyu-Young had raised with Vinh Dao himself at Thang Tien VI. It was “on the subject of hoisting the yellow flag with three stripes of the former Republic of Vietnam at official Scout functions.” In his letter dated February 25, 2004, to the editor of Bach Ma that Vinh Dao was also copied, Mr. Kyu-Young wrote,

“… out of my love of Scouting and Vietnamese people. I expressed my concern over the act of hoisting the yellow flag of the former Republic of Vietnam at official Scout gatherings. I officially pointed out this political act to Mr. Vinh Dao, the then Chairman of International Committee of Vietnamese Scouting, ...

Moreover, the action of hoisting the yellow flag will harm thousands of Scouts in Vietnam, who are carrying out Scouting under the constant surveillance by the communist authorities, who are extremely sensitive to Scouting activities in the southern part of Vietnam. Their every intention is to find out possible clues if Scouts are connected with any anti-communist elements outside Vietnam and to suppress them. We must be concerned about the well-being of Scouts in Vietnam by not creating any adverse situation, such as hoisting the yellow flag at Scouts events, which is detrimental to our brothers and sisters who are living under limited freedom.”[3]

A lot of water has passed under the bridge.

In a 2010 World Scout Bureau Asia-Pacific Region report, Abdullah Rasheed, Regional Director of the Asia-Pacific Region of the World Scout Bureau, wrote:

“WOSM will only deal with those Scout leaders who are residing in Vietnam and are therefore representing Vietnam.”[4]

That policy was reiterated in an email by Jose Rizal Pangilinan, the current Asia-Pacific Regional Director (WOSM), dated April 24, 2018, to Tuan Ton That,

“…The Asia-Pacific has never recognized ICCVS.”[5]

Is ICCVS an organization that has consultative status with WOSM as Vinh Dao claims? No.

First, according to the Consultative Status with the World Scout Committee[6] document, to have consultative status with the World Scout Committee

“The first step in the procedure is to send an official request letter, addressed to the Secretary-General of WOSM, containing the aims of the organization and the reasons for which the candidate organization wishes to be granted consultative status on the basis of articles 1 to 5 of the present document.”[7]

Second, the Consultative Status granted to an Organisation is reviewed every three years at the second meeting of the Committee following a World Scout Conference.

Third, presently, there are six such organizations, namely, Council of Protestants in Guiding and Scouting (CPGS), International Link of Orthodox Scouts (DESMOS), International Catholic Conference of Scouting (ICCS), International Union of Muslim Scouts (IUMS), World Buddhist Scout Council (WBSC), and World Scout Parliamentary Union (WSPU).

Comparing ICCVS at any time with the International Catholic Conference of Scouting (ICCS) or with any of the remaining is misleading or disseminating fake news, thus untrustworthy. Vinh Dao should have remembered the moral story for kids, “The Frog and The Ox.”

“Swelle not thy self / to thende that thow breste not”[8]

It is true that for a time, ICCVS did have some discussions about Scouting and contacts in Vietnam with one of the eight World Scout Bureau Global Support Centres in Geneva, Switzerland. However, this is far from qualifying it as an organization that has consultative status with the World Scout Committee, by definition, and by requirements.

In the remaining parts of his article, Vinh Dao kept on claiming credit for ICCVS with respect to the membership growth for BSA in the Vietnamese American communities.

Once and for all, in a letter dated March 13, 2019, using BSA National Council letterhead, Patrick W. Sterett, Assistant Chief Scout National, Director of Field Service of the BSA confirmed that

• ICCVS is not a committee of the BSA;

• ICCVS established in Costa Mesa on 2-3 July 1993 – as a whole – is no longer valid;

• “National Vietnamese Scouting Committee” (NVSC) is the only committee that is a part of BSA and can speak on behalf of Vietnamese Scouting in the USA.

Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s

The rule of law protects citizens' rights in a democracy, including their freedom of association; thus, any group of citizens in any democracy can form and register or incorporate any association or company, be it ICCVS, Lion Dance Institute, Ward Rowing Association, Federation of Clowns and Circus, and so on.

For example, another federal corporation called HOI DONG TRUNG UONG - HUONG DAO VIET NAM (ICCVS) was just incorporated in Canada on Dec. 19, 2018. It is a legal entity.