World-China Forum

Wang Dan: Tiananmen’s Enduring Challenge

In the past decade, I have watched from afar as China has reasserted its role on the world stage. The economic growth is impressive. Last year’s Beijing Olympic Games gave China the global profile the leadership so clearly wants for legitimacy. But what about media censorship, which contributed to the number of victims of the tainted-milk scandal? And government corruption, which led to shoddy construction practices in Sichuan and devastating consequences during last year’s earthquake? Or the widening gap between the rich and the poor? These issues, all raised by the students in Tiananmen Square 20 years ago, remain unaddressed.

China’s power is limited to the “yang,” or hard power of military and economic might, whereas in the 21st century the “yin,” or soft power based on moral principles and human rights, is equally important. The Chinese people yearn not just for economic benefits but also for basic human rights. A pro-democracy manifesto called Charter 08, released online last December, has garnered thousands of signatures despite every effort by the government to block its distribution and punish its authors.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, the Chinese government should take four steps if it wishes to convince the world it is a responsible power. First, it should pay reparations to the Tiananmen mothers who lost their children. Second, the government should allow me and other forcibly exiled Chinese citizens to return to our homeland. Third, the government should release the remaining prisoners who were jailed for peacefully protesting in Tiananmen Square and more recent prisoners persecuted for their efforts to encourage human rights reform. Finally, China’s leaders should address the objectives shared by the Tiananmen students and the authors of Charter 08 — establishing the rule of law, guaranteeing basic human rights and ending corruption. Only then can China begin to turn the tragic page of Tiananmen. (Wang Dan, New York Times)

Former Communist Party official stands trial over bribery in E China

A former Communist Party chief of a city in east China's Anhui Province stood trial Wednesday on bribery charges. Prosecutors accused Zhou Guangquan of accepting briberies worth 4.1 million yuan from more than 30 people when he was secretary of the Communist Party of China Chaohu City Committee from 2000 to 2004, heard the Anqing City Intermediate People's Court. Zhou was also charged with failing to account for the sources of his 3 million yuan of property. Among the people who bribed Zhou, nearly 20 were government officials who got promotions after giving him bribes, according to the court. The defendant admitted to the charges.(Xinhua)

Sex and corruption in China's Dream City

While there was little public sympathy for the dead man or his injured cohort, suddenly a previously unknown pedicurist working in a seedy hotel was being hailed by Chinese netizens as a champion of women's rights and hero of the underclass. Women's groups, including the semi-governmental All-China Women's Federation, took up her cause, and even state media picked up her story, which has become a national sensation.

Until last week, that is, when the country's censor tsar, jittery about public ire manifested in any form as the 20th anniversary of the June 4 Tiananmen Square crackdown approaches, decided to pull the plug.

“Hubei's case concerning Deng Yujiao,” a gag order from the Central Publicity Department stated, “has been under judicial investigation in accordance with the law, and news organizations should halt following up the case temporarily and call back journalists working in Hubei immediately.”

Since the department issued this edict, two journalists - Kong Pu of the Beijing Times and Wei Yi of the Nangfang People Weekly - have reportedly been beaten and detained as they attempted to interview Deng Yujiao's grandmother, and Yesanguan has been sealed off by local authorities.(Kent Ewing, Asia Times)

The culture of shame should be revived

While expressing shock and deep sorrow for Roh's death, many Chinese netizens called for revival of the sort of shame apparent in Roh's remarks before his suicide. While a sense of shame is desirable in public officials, shame should never lead anyone to end their own life, as Roh so tragically did.

In his last posting on his website, on April 22, Roh wrote, “You should now discard me.” He added: “I no longer symbolize the values you pursue. I am no longer qualified to speak for such things as democracy, progressiveness and justice.” Before presenting himself for questioning by prosecutors, Roh told reporters “I can't look you in the face because of shame. I apologize for disappointing the people.”

These words have been repeatedly quoted by Chinese netizens. In their eyes, Roh's strong sense of shame is a contrast to the overwhelming lack of shame among Chinese corrupted officials and even in China's society under the impact of the market economy.
Recently, Fang Weigang, a local official in Guangzhou who has been sentenced to years in prison for bribery and corruption, said in a media interview that “the money given by the people shows their respect for me.” Another corrupted official, Huang Peng, even said in court it was his “personal hobby to hide big sums of money at home.”

At the same time, many industries and professions in China are devoid of self-blame and professional morality. Chinese people have a deep resentment of this. Every industry and every person should have a bottom line for what behavior is and is not acceptable.

Only by reviving China's long lost culture of shame can we truly promote the rebuilding of Chinese ethics. This is extremely important for China at this point in time when the nation is experiencing a transition from a planned economy to a market economy, which is regulated not only by law but also by morality. (Global Times, via People's Daily)

What has driven the President's death?

On the surface, Mr. Roh was driven to suicide by humiliating bribery allegations. But what lies behind his dramatic death could be far more complex than a once-for-all solution to his life and shame. Many presumed it was the country's omnipotent prosecutors and conservative forces that had in collusion pushed him and his family too hard in pursuing the corruption scandal, and some even accused the Blue House, South Korea's presidential palace, of orchestrating the investigation just out of a political vendetta.

What's more, some Western media also commented that Mr. Roh had been victimized by a substandard democracy, which seemingly cannot hold water. Democracy is in essence just a political existence. Thus, whether it be a young one or already in full size, and double-edged weapon as it may be, democracy would not act of its own accord, or function in the way completely independent of human agents. Roh's suicide is, as it was, the continuation of the South Korea's political legacies, or simply put, Mr. Roh was killed by political infighting.

It has long been a notorious political habit since the country's authoritarian past that the incumbent president would preside over investigations of his predecessor and try to gain support by punishing him. Even if the dictatorship ended in early 1990s, S. Korea has all along carried on the tendency to define a presidency by the failings of the one that came before.

Many political experts also remarked the struggle to shed the authoritarian past in South Korea was far from finished, as manifested by the public reaction toward Roh's suicide, which has unleashed a renewed wave of sympathy for a former president, although he used to alienate many supporters by implementing some unpopular policies and had been bogged down in bribery scandals by the moment when he leapt from a hilltop near his home. (Li Hongmei, People's Daily)

Why did Roh Moo-hyun choose to end his life?

Director of the Center for Korean Studies at Fudan University Shi Yuanhua said the idea that "death brings everything to an end" epitomizes Roh's state of mind when he chose to end his life. He said, by reading between the lines, Roh's suicide note revealed his misanthropic mood. Roh, who as a lawyer was familiar with the law, clearly understood that the investigation would be terminated upon his death.

Director of the Center for Korean Peninsula Studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Liu Ming said that Roh was left with no other choice, and he bore the extreme pressure of daily media reports about him. Another major reason is the fact that the reality stood in stark contrast to his own perfectionist requirements. "The long-term goal Roh pursued was incorruptibility, but ironically many of his subordinates and family members have been embroiled in scandals."

Examining Roh's death in the context of the lineage of almost a century of political history in South Korea, it is not only a personal tragedy for Roh Moo-hyun, but also a tragedy for South Korea's political environment which is making a shift towards democratization from previous military regimes.

Looking back over South Korea's previous presidents, Roh is not the first having left office either to be sentenced for accepting illegal money, or had their reputations tarnished in later years because their relatives were involved in corruption scandals. Former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo were incarcerated on bribery charges, Kim Young-sam's son was imprisoned for corruption and the reputation of Kim Dai-jun's son was stained by bribery. All the scandals involving presidents relate to money.

Shi Yuanhua regards these incidents as South Korea's political "cancer." (People's Daily)

Power erodes justice

It will become an important event in the education history of China. The rural girl Luo Caixia from the county of Shaodong, Central China's Hunan province, was fortunate enough to be enrolled by another university in the second year after she passed the national college entrance examinations. If she had given up without another try and reconciled herself to being a villager all her life, she would have never known of the machinations - by the father of one of her classmates - that had deprived her of the chance to study at another university a year earlier.

She was fortunate enough to discover before her graduation that an imposter had used both her name and identification card number. What if she had failed to find out the truth or what if the imposter's father had done a better job to keep Luo in the dark all her life? She is also lucky to be in the age of modern telecommunications and Internet. She appealed to the media for help after her lawsuit to protect her right was rejected three times by a local court in Tianjin, where she studies.

It might be because of the pressure of public opinion that her case was accepted by the local court last week and is now under investigation. The imposter's father who had plotted the scheme has already been detained and so have some others who were involved. At the same time, two other similar cases were exposed. Luo is not alone in becoming a prey of injustice and abuse of power in education. (China Daily)

Audit Uncovers a Clog in China's Stimulus Pipeline

A government audit of China's four trillion yuan ($586 billion) stimulus plan shows that some bank funding is getting stuck in the pipeline instead of flowing to the real economy. Though 94% of the funds from the central government were in place for 335 new projects, supplementary funds to bring the projects to fruition were only 48% in place, the auditor said. As a result, some projects are unfinished, while others have been delayed.

The National Audit Office said it had discovered no "major violation problems" but recommended stepping up oversight of the stimulus plan. The auditor said some banks at the local or branch level aren't conducting adequate due diligence. The audit found some companies that applied for bill financing had put the funds into bank deposits to profit from interest-rate differentials rather than use the money for short-term working capital. The auditor called for a review of how some financial institutions are carrying out their work to expand domestic demand and promote economic growth. (J.R. WU, Wall Street Journal) 

Senior official calls on Party's discipline chiefs to be "loyal guardians"

A senior Chinese official has called on discipline chiefs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to become the Party's "loyal guardians" and people's "intimate servants". He Guoqiang, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, made the remarks Monday at a meeting held in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province. He, also a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, urged discipline organs at all levels to help improve the quality and competence of their personnel. He asked discipline officials to take the initiative of being self-discipline, which is essential for fighting corruption and building a clean government. Discipline officials should also be strict with their family members, against various bribery temptations and conduct an uncompromising fight with loyalty to the Party against all corruptions, He said. (Xinhua)