Doubts over Chinese Leader’s Call for Political Reform

Chinese head of State Hu Jintao spoke in the southern city of Shenzhen on Monday, promising political reforms.

[Hu Jintao, Chinese Head of State]:
„We need to expand socialist democracy and speed up the construction of a socialist country that is ruled by law, and to allow more democratic elections in accordance with the law, democratic policy decisions, democratic management and democratic oversight and safeguard the people’s rights to know, to participate, to express and to oversee.“

Hu made his remark at an event to mark the 30th anniversary of Shenzhen as a Special Economic Zone. But critics don’t believe any significant change will take place under the ruling communist regime.

[Chen Shuwei, Shenzhen-based Rights Activist]:
“From what I understand, the socialist democratic reform Hu talked about is just democracy controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. It’s just for show. For example, they talk about the rule of law, but we still don’t have this. So the reform is fake.”

Hu Jintao, who’s already made several calls for political reform, said on Monday that while reforms were urgent, they have to have (quote) “Chinese characteristics.”

That probably means any kind of democracy will be carried out under the framework of the communist regime, instead of real democratic practices where the public can freely elect a government.

This was explained in a commentary published by state-run Xinhua News Agency last month, which said (quote), „The reform is aimed at securing the governing party status of the Communist Party of China, under whose leadership other parties jointly participate in state affairs through political consultation.”

Shenzhen has gone through a dramatic transformation over the past three decades, but it’s also becoming increasingly plagued by growing social problems.

The phenomenon is seen throughout China where rapid industrialization led by an authoritarian regime has led to corruption, massive wealth gaps and human rights violations.

Foto: NTDTV