President Kaysone Phomvihane: a tactical revolutionary and leader

On the occasion of the 104th anniversary of the birth of President Kaysone Phomvihane, one of Laos’ greatest leaders, people from all walks of life, the Party, and government recall his courage, determination and dedication to liberate Laos from foreign domination and achieve full sovereignty.
Early life of President Kaysone

President Kaysone Phomvihane. (File photo Vientiane Times)

President Kaysone was born on December 13, 1920, in Naxeng village, Khanthabouly district (now Kaysone Phomvihane city) in Savannakhet province. His father was an official and family life was full of warmth and love. At the age of 7, he attended a Lao-French primary school in Savannakhet. After finishing primary school, he continued his education at a college in Hanoi, Vietnam, and in 1943 he enrolled in a law university in Hanoi. In 1944, he became a member of the National Redemption Youth Association of Vietnam, marking his entry into the revolutionary movement. In 1964, he joined the Lao-Viet Liaison Committee.
President Kaysone began his journey as a young revolutionary in 1947 and engaged in intense study of revolutionary theory, which became a sharp weapon for his cause. He carefully studied documents, articles and writings by leaders of the Vietnamese revolution, such as President Ho Chi Minh, along with Marxism-Leninism and other revolutionary theories. In the same year, he joined the propaganda organisation of the No. 12 North Region of Vietnam and became actively involved in the revolutionary movement.
The revolutionary movement led by President Kaysone
President Kaysone was born at a time when Laos was ruled by a foreign empire, and the people were severely oppressed. He sought to identify the main reasons for the nation’s plight and, as a student, developed a strong sense of patriotism.
Guided by Marxism-Leninism and the influence of President Ho Chi Minh and other revolutionaries, President Kaysone committed himself to the liberation of Laos and its people from the yoke of imperialists and their henchmen who had invaded the country.
Through his actions, President Kaysone made it clear that “To liberate the nation, a revolution must take place. To truly engage in a revolution, there must be a revolutionary theory to guide it.” He not only studied Marxism-Leninism but also applied it to the revolutionary process.
After undergoing rigorous revolutionary training, President Kaysone applied to join the Indochina Communist Party on January 6, 1949, and was accepted as a full member on July 28, 1949.
He then pursued a revolutionary path with firm adherence to Marxism-Leninism. He was not deterred by any test or challenge and never became discouraged or surrendered to difficulties and threats, but moved forward to build and expand the revolutionary forces so that they continued to grow in strength.

President Kaysone Phomvihane posed for a photo with local people.    --Photo provided by KPL

On January 20, 1949, President Kaysone announced the establishment of the Lao Issara (Freedom) Army and was appointed as its commander.
He fully understood that “revolution is different from reform and a coup and is a fierce class struggle”. This means that if one is determined to defeat the enemy, opponents must be imbued with a revolutionary spirit, be resolute, and fight to the end.
Above all, there must be a revolutionary force and a stronghold as a base for a prolonged struggle, because it would be impossible to defeat such a strong enemy over a short period of time.
Using this guiding concept and adopting a strategy based on unity, he led the construction of revolutionary strongholds, starting from the Taseng Lao Hung area in Xiengkhor district, Huaphan province in the far north of Laos, and gradually expanding this into a large liberation area.
President Kaysone made it clear that for the revolutionary process to be successful and result in the defeat of imperialist aggressors, it must be led by the Party.
Accordingly, in line with an agreement endorsed at the 2nd Congress of the Indochina Communist Party in 1951, President Kaysone joined with other committee members to form the Lao People’s Party on March 22, 1955, which is today called the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party.
After the Party spearheaded the revolutionary movement, victory after victory followed and the Party and its influence went from strength to strength.
Under the direct leadership of President Kaysone, who led the struggle in many ways, the revolution gained steady momentum and slowly swung in the Party’s favour.
The Party and the Lao Issara Army enjoyed numerous successes and triumphs during each stage of the revolution until full victory was achieved.
Finally, the Party was able to break free from the yoke of foreign domination that had held the country in its grip for more than 80 years.
On December 2, 1975, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) was proclaimed, forever enshrining the great achievements and victories of the revolution under President Kaysone and other leaders in the nation’s glorious history.
After the establishment of the Lao PDR, the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, led by President Kaysone, guided citizens in the building of a new regime through adherence to two strategic paths of development.
He decreed the need to “protect and develop the nation according to the socialist path”. Building a new regime is the greatest and most glorious mission of our nation, he said, but it is a difficult and burdensome undertaking because of the lack of basic infrastructure given Laos’ underdeveloped status and widespread destruction after decades of war. He also acknowledged that opposing forces were still a threat and sought to undermine the new regime.
In light of these circumstances, President Kaysone astutely developed appropriate guidelines and policies for the new regime. 
The most significant of these was the formulation of a far-reaching renovation policy and the founding principles of the Party.
Together, he and other leaders devised the renovation policy and put it into practice with a view to bringing about change, which took effect from the 4th Party Congress onwards and still remain the Party’s guiding principles in leading Laos.

By Manichanh Pansivongxay
(Latest Update December 12, 2024)