Re: Chinese Daily Photos, Videos & News!!
plawolf, you've given a fine speech to the choir about how foreigners who criticise human rights injustices and call for political reform secretly hate China and don't want anything good for it. Congratulations.
Let's look at the facts, democracy isn't perfect, but neither is a one party state. For example, how would it be easier to deal with the Euro crisis if the EU was a club of totalitarian despots or one-party states? It wouldn't be, and arguably it would be harder because all the leaders would be under even more pressure to "stand up" to the others or face rebellion at home.
I would say that Wukan is a fairly small problem by itself, but the CCP seems incapable of resolving it without threatening to criminalise the protesters and lock up their leaders. Beijing's first reaction was to censor news of it. That's sweeping it under the carpet instead of trying to do something about it.
Also, let's not forget that this is an article about what is happening in a town in China, not political reform. Why don't you offer your views about what is happening and how you would deal with it? Also, what do you think the government in Beijing must do? This has been going on for a week or so, yet there has been no reaction - bar censorship - from Beijing. Do you think it's entitled to do nothing?
And you know what, I will maintain that an independent judiciary with rule of law would have avoided this problem. Will anyone explain to me why I'm wrong on this, rather than make a generic complaint about whites poking their nose into other people's business?
Yes, the residents of Wukan want help from the central government. But who else are they supposed to appeal to? No one, that's who. It's a choice between patriotically asking for help from Beijing, or admitting you've got no chance of getting anywhere and giving in/starving to death.
The problem is that in China, like everywhere else in the world, there are powerful vested interests that benefits from the status quo, and would fight with astonishing brutality and determination to try and maintain it.
The biggest advantage of China's one-party centralized government is that unlike democratic governments, it is next to impossible for such forces to co-op or hold China's top leaders' policies to hostage.
That's a contradictory statement. If China's top leaders can't be held hostage by those powerful interests, they can reform whenever they like. If those forces can and will block reform, China's leaders are as toothless as any of their democratic counterparts. You can't have it both ways.
So when is the Beijing government going to ride to their rescue? Today? Monday?
By the way, what is the obsession with India in China? Seriously, get some perspective. According to Transparency International there are 75 countries in the world less corrupt that China. And they're not all tiny islands or first world countries.
If anyone could be asked to do the research, I would not be surprised at all if many of these same politicians are also the ones leading the charge on protectionist bills against China.
And you might be surprised to find that some politicians who criticise China's political system are also in favour of free trade. David Cameron, for one. Or John McCain.