Posted on 10/13/2010 10:20:40 AM PDT by oldleft
BEIJING – A group of eminent Chinese Communist Party elders has issued a bold call to end the country's wide-ranging restrictions on free speech, just days after the government reacted angrily to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to imprisoned dissident Liu Xiaobo.
In an open letter posted online, the retired officials state that although China's 1982 constitution guarantees freedom of speech, the right is constrained by a host of laws and regulations that should be scrapped.
"This kind of false democracy of affirming in principle and denying in actuality is a scandal in the history of democracy," said the letter, which was dated Monday and widely distributed by e-mail.
Wang Yongcheng, a retired professor at Shanghai's Jiaotong University who signed the letter, said it had been inspired by the recent arrest of a journalist who wrote about corruption in the resettlement of farmers for a dam project.
"We want to spur action toward governing the country according to law," Wang said in a telephone interview.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
mark the book
It is important to understand that the West has the opposite approach to the same ends as the East, but that the same ends can be achieved.
For example, in the West, liberties and freedoms are seen as natural, and *resulting* in efficiencies in society, that is why they are goals in themselves.
However, the flip side of this coin, seen in the East, is just as valid an argument: that democracy and civil rights create *efficiency* in society. That they require liberties and freedoms are side effects of this efficiency.
As such, this is a much better selling point to the Chinese, that a two or more party system, democracy, voting, freedom of speech, etc., will quickly modernize and improve their society in untold ways. This is because it is a more efficient way of doing things.
While the people embrace freedom of speech to vent their opinions in the West, that same freedom of speech in the East would give rise to better productivity, economic growth, effective government, and the competition of ideas that results in better ideas.
Oh yes, and freedom and liberty as well.
It is interesting. Let’s see what comes of it. Sounds like some influential people with nothing to lose are trying to do the right thing, regardless of their motives.
Hint: He was the last prominent Chinese Communist elder to make this type of appeal.
Hu led an interesting life.
It’s noteworthy that some of the former leadership see restrictions on civil liberties as counterproductive. Even in communist societies, there are always a few in leadership positions who see “the light.” But usually nothing comes of it. Hence my comment of “let’s see what comes of this.”
ping
a bold call to end the country's wide-ranging restrictions on free speechGood luck to them with that.
S WOW Could even China be opening the “crack” on turning to freedom/away from Communist hardcore government..?
Just as we were turning toward it?
Never though I’d hear this from a Chinese Com official!
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