Should term limit for China's presidency remain the same, be extended, or eliminated?

Franklin

Captain
I'm less worried about a senile Xi messing things up although that could always happen. I'm more worried what is going to happen after Xi. Even if they change the constitution back after Xi it won't be the same as before. Xi shows that one can simply burglarized the law to fit his own purpose. This is a huge blow to the rule of law in China. But then again the rule of law in China is non-existent anyway because the country doesn't have a independent judiciary. The question rather a future leader in China can rule for 30 or 40 years depends on many factors mostly the support of the military and other factors that are there for Xi and may not be there for them. Xi simply couldn't have done this without the support of the PLA. And he does have some real achievements in his first 5 years. Maybe that's why so many people in the party are willing to go along with this.

But this is going to be bad for China in the long run. This will create divisions and questions in China about the CCP rule like nothing else. You can see that right here on this forum.
 

texx1

Junior Member
there is no term limit in most countries i.e NZ, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, the UK, Germany, etc, etc :p:p:p

Just wanted to add Canada to that list. Throughout the relatively short Canadian history, we had several long time prime ministers. William Mackenzie King was prime minister for over 21 years which is longer than Deng Xiao Ping's tenure as Chinese paramount leader (1980-1997). Pierre Trudeau (Trudeau Senior) was prime minister for over 15 years.
 

Ryz05

Junior Member
If they know how to pick their leaders though personality typing, I don't see a problem with serving longer term limits, but would like to see younger people as leaders. Younger people have fresher ideas, and tend to be more in touch with society, as opposed to someone raised during the Cultural Revolution
 
D

Deleted member 13312

Guest
No one said the former Malay PM was all sparkles and sunshine, but when the time came, he handed over power to the one who legitimately was chosen by the people of Malaysia.

As for the Chinese constitution stating max term of ruling head of state. Well with time, circumstances change and with it, so should the constitution. We have seen the rise of Xi Jinping's enforcement of anti-corruption. If that means the eradication of corruption that plagues the government of China, then let the constitution be changed so that corruption is eliminated. Because it is due to corruption so many countries have suffered and have been an impediment to their progress.

I would say that it is actually the fact that the party Mahatir represents that gotten the most support, not him, he was not directly chosen by the people. It may not make a difference to some, but it does for me. Moreover, it is because of Mahatir's overstayed presence in the party that had actually lead up to the point that we are seeing Mahatir, the ex-leader of UMNO crossover to the opposition party because of said party friction ( They aren't too happy with him continuing to pull the strings).

Rules are rules for a reason, as in they should not be abrogated or changed regardless of how expedient or sought for it may be at the time. It is too early to say if Xi's corruption campaign had any lasting effects, and even then. Terms limits are an effective measure of preventing corruption as it prevents the officer holder from building up a power base or getting too comfortable wielding power. It also prevents the thinking of the administration from becoming stale.

Unless there is a fullblown crisis in China like a war or natural disaster, there is no good justification for Xi to stay beyond the normal term limits.
 

Dizasta1

Senior Member
And Mahatir is having a go at being the next PM again.

Really?!?!! Is he not in his late 80s right now? Would he not be too old to contest in general elections to be Malaysia's next Prime Minister? If true, I find it surprising to say the least. But kudos to the elderly gentleman for being brave enough to go at it even at his age. They sure don't make'em like that anymore!
 

manqiangrexue

Brigadier
Rules are rules for a reason, as in they should not be abrogated or changed regardless of how expedient or sought for it may be at the time.
Sounds like you worship rules. Sounds like you don't understand that rules are made by people, they are imperfect, and if need be, to adapt to new situations, they can be changed by or torn down by people. Rules are not sacred. Rules are not commandments written by God (not that I believe in that either) that people follow without question. Rules are what people agreed with each other to follow and if they don't agree anymore, then those rules are null.
It is too early to say if Xi's corruption campaign had any lasting effects, and even then. Terms limits are an effective measure of preventing corruption as it prevents the officer holder from building up a power base or getting too comfortable wielding power. It also prevents the thinking of the administration from becoming stale.
Yes, those are the benefits of term limits. And the downside to term limits is that they may prevent leaders from enacting long-term strategies, they may cause inconsistency in governance (less of a problem when in a 1 party government), cast doubt in allies, and worst of all, they may cause an excellent leader to be replaced by an incompetent one. When determining the limits of the term, both the benefits and the downsides need to be considered and if it is decided that the previous limits were overly focused on either side, then the term limits can be changed.
Unless there is a fullblown crisis in China like a war or natural disaster, there is no good justification for Xi to stay beyond the normal term limits.
And I say unless Xi starts to make mistakes or become ineffective, there is no justification for removing him for someone who may or may not run the show as well as he does (historically speaking, the "may not" is far more likely). If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If you have a highly effective and experienced general manager running your restaurant like a well-slicked machine, earning more and more each year, the stupidest thing you can do is fire him and hire someone else just because it's been 10 years so someone else should "have a try."
 
Last edited:

Dizasta1

Senior Member
I think Xi Jinping is strong leader, if his drive to root out corruption within the Chinese political system is genuine. Then this should not be limited to just one man, it ought to be transformed into a system with checks and balances which ensure that the fallible human factor is sterilized whenever this filth raises it's head in a country. The constitution (for any country) is meant to establish rule of law, accountability and the smooth functioning of a country's political, social and economic order. Time and time again history has shown that human nature is susceptible to greed, hunger for power which eventually leads to corruption of the human soul. Hence a system is in place whereby checks n balances remain constant to ensure that no one takes advantage of it. As such, extending or eliminating the term limit of China's presidency could prove to be positive or negative.
 
Top