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Sat 8 Jul, 2006 09:26 pm
For decades, just as China has never stopped criticizing the West, the western "democratic" world has never ceased the scold on Chinese Communist Party's conduct, especially that in the political sphere.
For years, every time I learnt more from the foreign sources about those unspeakable things here in China about the party, I felt despondent, melancholy, really melancholy: This is MY country, and my country is being constantly criticized, and the point is, those critics really have their firm grounds!
That turned me into a somewhat cynic among my fellows, a poet when I buried my self under the pillow, a lost ship that tried in vain to find his beacon.
But melancholy is one thing, the solid issue of how to navigate this huge ship of China is another.
For many times I force myself into thinking this question: So what if Chinese Communist Party gives up its supreme power, over energy, over core industry, and the most talked about by the westerners, over the press? What if people can freely elect their own Chief in Command but actually have no candidate in mind? What if the party suddenly collapses? I can only think of one word: catastrophe.
What these ifs will lead to is a vast political, economical (considering the ruling party also rules the major portion of economy), ideological vacuum among 1.3 billion people. Isn't that a catastrophe? Watching what has happened in Iraq, will people have trust in western-styled democracy?
These are my first questions put forward to be discussed in this thread.
No matter how you think of these years' unprecedented capitalistic progress, no matter how different it might look in the real sense, China is STILL A SOCIALIST COUNTRY. It's written in the constitution, it's propagated by the party at every possible moment, and you see, the government still has its firm grip on the economy.
To explain the ever widening gap between the rich and the poor? That's what Deng could give you an answer: To let one part of population to be rich first. What I want to say is, to achieve real socialism is still people's dream, an ultimate goal, even it's a goal one does not know he or she has. But what if the party disappears? Fully capitalistic way will be inevitable, the gap will be formally recognized, and institutionalized. To take Russia as an example? It's unpromising.
Personally, I really prefer socialism, but please we shouldn't discuss much on this constant ideological issue for long here.
But the oppression really exists! And doubtlessly That's a bad thing!
True, I agree, that's what depresses me a lot. But my rational part always takes pains to instruct me in one simple logic: Don't be fooled by things before you, one has to view things from a wide, a long perspective. Consider this, what if the current political setbacks are only the tactical retreat of a large pattern of advancement in democracy?
Democracy is a good thing. It's a simple conclusion and is actually recognized firmly by the party. And from what I see, the Party is really moving in this general direction, is really experimenting in quest for a workable democratic way for China. This work can be very tricky under those premises: China is a socialist way and will maintain this direction; China is a country with complicated historical problems; Many Chinese people, especially rural people, are illiterate politically; The population is awesome in China.
To govern China is one of the most tricky job in the world.
I hope we can discuss and debate comprehensively here on these issues and questions. I think that is what I need most from my general sense of melancholy.
Re: To look objectively at CCP
Hi JB,
Those are some very deep ponderings, and bring up some very good questions. Try not to feel too despondent, after all beyond our own actions there is very little you should feel obliged to feel responsible for.
In business circles it is often noted that where China is lacking is in marketing, I think this is true as well in a political sense as well. I long ago stopped believing what the newspapers were saying, or at least looked at it from the point of view that the owners have political motives of their own as well as giving the public what the public wants.
The west does use its propaganda machine and China seems to be the target lately. Some of it is true, some of it is reinforced stereotypes and some is plain misleading. Are the western countries perfect, I think not. Americans (no offence to the Americans on this site, and I accept this is a gross generalization) can be very nationalistic, in their democratic society president Bush was elected, was it fair? How much time and money was spent on the election process. To rise to the top of the communist party you need approval of your peers, only the smartest get there, but how much corruption is there? On the other side of the Taiwan strait president Chen was re-elected, was this an example of how well democracy works?
I recently saw stephen hawking ask the question "how will the human race survive the next hundred years", my answer would have been tie a lie detector to every politicians forehead, and attach wires to their genitals, you can guess what I would like to happen each time they tell a lie.
Ultimately I see cultures like fruits. Each with its own special traits, people may have preferences but it's difficult to say one is better than the other, take specific qualities and say an apple is better than a banana because it is crunchy. But that is often what is happening when the west takes incidents or specific cases and makes direct comparisons to the same in their own society
JB, as I've said to you earlier, a strong central Chinese government is essential if you are to successfully overcome the several problems we've already talked about. China is in transition, and a lot of internal pressures have built up over the past 58 years. The Chinese penchant for practicality has been reasserting itself for over a decade, and the CCP is bleeding off that pressure slowly to prevent the sort of catastrophic collapse that occurred in the Soviet Union. The Party is riding a very hungry tiger, and getting off without being eaten and giving the tiger indigestion isn't an easy matter. It may not work, though we should all hope that it does.
As China goes through the transition from rigid central control over every aspect of human life to something more nearly akin to Chinese traditional culture, new leadership will be essential. In order to overcome the problems, China will have to realize much more of its technological potential. Flood and famine are so much a part of Chinese history that provision for them has to be a very high priority. The medical needs of the country are staggering, and the danger of a pandemic originating in Southeast China capable of killing millions has to be carefully monitored.
China has come a long way, but some of the greatest challenges lie ahead. And, those challenges may come sooner than expected and before the Party is replaced with something more acceptable to the People as a whole. In the meantime, keep your head down and look for those who might share your feelings. But go slow, both because that is personally safest, and it is what your country requires if chaos is to be avoided.
Quote:my answer would have been tie a lie detector to every politicians forehead, and attach wires to their genitals, you can guess what I would like to happen each time they tell a lie.
That's just too true, Michael.
Quote:I long ago stopped believing what the newspapers were saying, or at least looked at it from the point of view that the owners have political motives of their own as well as giving the public what the public wants.
And I long ago formed the idea that, if you want to understand something, go to see it yourself. (The alternative is, broaden the source of information, make it sure there is a variety in your pocket)
Quote:CCP is bleeding off that pressure slowly to prevent the sort of catastrophic collapse that occurred in the Soviet Union.
That's exactly what they are doing I think. They are intelligent and anxious. And they desperately avoid that pressure pot from exploding.
Quote: In the meantime, keep your head down and look for those who might share your feelings. But go slow, both because that is personally safest, and it is what your country requires if chaos is to be avoided.
I am increasingly convinced that I am standing in a great pattern of history, a pattern resembles a great river, flowing slowly.
And thanks for the kindess Asherman
In the end however, you must admit that the CCP has done a great job in the maintenance and build up of China into the country it is today, as opposed to the chaos it was in only a few decades ago. They have acheived much - impossibility is a word that Chinese history, I feel, has never succumbed to.
ya,CCP has achieved a great progress on economy of China,but I think there are still a lot of things we need to do on politics!
Be careful Chan! And spend more time thinking and reading deeply!
Bide your time!
J-B wrote:Be careful Chan! And spend more time thinking and reading deeply!
Bide your time!
As our prime minister said "No one was arrested because of improper words on internet"
Who knows...
Chan:
Really I think many of your attitudes are exactly like mine years ago. The things that you loathe are truely loathsome, but from my years of (desoltury) investigation upon global politics I can assure you that, this is just the way politics everywhere in the world work.
In the meantime, in China, I feel less passion on "censorship" in this country, since I have long recognized that governing China is far more delicate and needs far greater carefulness and reasoning ability than I previously assumed. And "censorship"? It's really that serious compared with many others. And I believe under the current circumstances "censorship" to a certain extent is desirable.
And I still think Party is no stupid, they know the right think to do is not to merely oppress, but democratise the country step by step. And I think that's what they are doing right now.
btw, what kind of newspapers you read? I read Southern Week (Your hometown newspaper isn't it?^^) I think that's the best possible in Mainland China.
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