China’s oligarchy versus Liu Xiaobo

By Sushil Seth

Much has been written about the award of Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo, who is serving an 11-year prison sentence for his advocacy of democratic rule in China. We know that he is China’s leading political dissident and has authored the alternative blueprint, Charter 08.

But the more we know about him the more you understand why China’s ruling oligarchy is so deadset against him.

First of all, the Charter succinctly exposes the contradictions of the existing political system—a cruel Orwellian joke on its people. It says, “…the political reality, which is plain for anyone to see, is that China has many laws but no rule of law; it has a constitution but no constitutional government…”

Not surprisingly: “The stultifying results are endemic official corruption…weak human rights, decay in public ethics, crony capitalism, growing inequality between the wealthy and the poor, pillage of the natural environment… and the exacerbation of a long list of social conflicts…”

Which would lead to the logical conclusion that, “The decline of the current system has reached the point where change is no longer optional.”

The Charter 08 then goes on to propose the enactment of a new constitution based on the democratic principles of separation of legislative, judicial and executive power as well enshrining guarantee of human rights, freedom of expression and a whole lot more.

Such a prescriptive Charter will be the death knell of the political monopoly of the Communist Party of China. No wonder, China’s rulers went ballistic against Norway and the committee that awarded the prize. And, at home, they rounded up some activists.

Beijing has stopped dialogue with Norway on furthering trade relations, and demanded an apology from the Nobel committee for awarding the Peace Prize to a “criminal”, thus showing disrespect for China’s legal system.

These days China is big on demanding apology. Japan too was asked to apologize over the detention of the captain of a Chinese fishing trawler that collided with a Japanese patrol boat in the East China Sea. But that is another story.

However, Professor Liu Xiaobo is one of those rare people who is not for turning when he believes in what is right. The Party would like to see the back of him if he were to leave China for comfortable pastures abroad, where he has had academic stints in prestigious universities in the United States and elsewhere.

But he keeps coming back to pursue his passion and commitment to change his homeland. Though his current 11-year stint in jail is the longest so far, he is not new to such persecution at the hands of his country’s communist oligarchs.

He was jailed for 20 months in 1989 when he went on hunger strike to support the democracy movement. He spent another three years at a re-education camp from 1996 for his criticism of the party’s monopoly on power.

After serving his current 11-year mandatory sentence at the sheer pleasure of his country’s communist cabal, he would have spent 16 years in jail.

Still, Liu remains unbowed with his indomitable will to pursue the cause of political reform for his country. If democracy has to succeed in China at some point, men like Liu are the ones who would keep the torch alive.

Speaking at his trial on December 23, 2009, he recalled, “…[after] I was imprisoned [in 1989] for ‘counter-revolutionary propaganda and incitement to crime’… I was never again allowed to publish or speak in public in China.”

He went on to say that, “ But I still want to tell the regime that deprives me of my freedom… I have no enemies and no hatred… For hatred is corrosive of a person’s wisdom and conscience…”

Speaking on a note of hope, he said, “I hope to be the last victim of China’s endless literary inquisition, and that after this no one else will be jailed for their speech.”

Because:” Freedom of expression is the basis of human rights, the source of humanity and the mother of truth…”

From a perusal of the text of his statement at the December 2009 trial, Liu comes out as a towering personality of immense courage and compassion.

It is hard to believe that he is regarded as a “criminal” in his own country for exercising his right to free speech and saying the things which some of China top leaders have also said at times.

For instance, President Hu Jintao reportedly said in 2003 that the Communist Party faced “inevitable extinction” if it did not increase press freedoms.

And more recently Premier Wen Jiabao told CNN that, “Freedom of speech is indispensable for any nation. China’s constitution endows the people with freedom of speech.”

He added, “The demands of the people for democracy cannot be resisted.”

If so, why is Liu Xiaobo in one of Premier Wen’s jails for exercising his right to free speech under the Chinese constitution? Or is it all a charade?

Liu’s Noble peace prize created a bit of excitement among some Chinese party elders and a group of scholars, making renewed calls for democratic reforms.

In an open letter, 100 Chinese scholars urged “China should join the mainstream of civilized humanity by embracing universal values.” Because: “Such is the only route to becoming a ‘great nation’ that is capable of playing a positive and responsible role on the world stage.”

All this activity urging political reforms was probably intended to influence the deliberations of the Communist Party plenum just held. But it was ignored, as has happened in the past.

The only passing reference to this in the communiqué read: “Great impetus should be given to reform of the economic system, while vigorous yet steady efforts should be made to promote reform of the political structure.”

Which is neither here nor there.

Some China-watchers were heartened by Premier Wen’s support for political reforms. But Wen’s background as an aide to Zhao Ziyang during the tumultuous days preceding Tiananmen massacre and his conversion thereafter, is a testimony not only to his great instinct for political survival but also coming out a winner.

Therefore, one shouldn’t read too much into his rebirth as a political reformer.

But Liu and his band of political dissidents could one day become the rallying point of a popular movement against the party’s corrupt and politically suffocating rule.