News Chronicle
28/1/47
Concluding CHIN
How t
SOLUTION of China's
A political crisis lies in
the acceptance by the Kuomintang (Government) and Communist parties that genuine negotiations mean honest compromise.
This presupposes there is a sincere desire to reach an agreement. Despite the tremists on both sides I believe this feeling exists.
ex-
What is needed to dissolve the mutual fears and suspicions rendering any reasoned approach to the political prob- lem next to impossible is for one or other of the protagonists to make major concessions which would demonstrate its good faith beyond doubt.
THE inaugurati of a
re-
organised Central Govern- ment in Nanking will provide an excellent opportunity to put this plan into action,
Why not offer to concede to the Communists local autonomy in specified areas and a minority veto power in the State Council which will remain the highest policy-making body pending the coming into force of the Consti- tution on Christmas Day? These have been the greatest points of contention up to now.
It may not be an ideal arrangement-I do not think there is one. It is, however, the only one likely to lead to an im- mediate resumption of nego- tiations, and, bearing in mind the alternative, these conces- sions are a relatively small price to pay for peace, unity and the reduction of all armed forces into a compact National Army, without which effective national rehabilitation is out of the ques-
tion.
*
THE value placed by the Com- munists on such an overture will largely depend on the com- position of the new Government. If it should include a significant representation of Liberals and non-Kuomintang members the impression would be confirmed that this is no idle gesture.
The effect would be height- ened still further if the Govern- ment were to push through a series of spectacular reforms designed to bring positive proof to the stricken masses that at
HERE is
my list
of the ten people living today who will be talked about
а
in
hun- dred years' time:
Churchill.
Stalin, Montgomery,
Bernard Shaw, Einstein, Epstein. Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Stanley Matthews, Don Bradman.
And I think they will be remembered in that order..
Gerald Samson
The
ik* the llock
ing ability and drive to assure progressive action and the stamp- ing out of corruption, nepotism and other evil practices.
"The main hope," as General' George Marshall put it to me, "lies in the liberals in all parties hold- ing the balance between the two extremes."
*
REPEATEDLY and movingly
the common people every- where, on both sides of the line, impressed upon me their fervent longing for peace and a good Government, and yet they seemed powerless to affect the issue. Public opinion in China remains unorganised and afraid.
Outside of the big cities the majority of the population has still to be emancipated. The people themselves remain strongly in- fluenced by the ancient family system and the absence of any civic sense or higher loyalty,
Other factors responsible for public apathy are widespread illiteracy and the hesitation of university and college graduates to prejudice their chances of entering some branch of the Government by joining an oppo sition party.
China, in addition, has never had a political party system on British lines. The Kuomintang is the only party government the nation has experienced, and the Government itself is unaccus- tomed to having various parties built up to compete with it. Britain and other Western States have had to grope their way to democracy, and China will have to do the same.
IN the economic
as
field the Government is also beset with problems. They include the need to stabilise currency and wages, increase the yield of the land so to make the nation self-sup- porting in rice and raw cotton, improve communications, train large numbers of technicians for light and heavy industry, and abolish restrictions which hold up a revival of the expu. trade.
So that even if peace and unity came to China tomorrow the road ahead would be a hard one.
the
The inherent traits of her people, their vitality, resilience, enterprise, industry, patience and the ability to recover from any type of misfortune, make it reasonably certain she will sur- mount her
present difficulties if she makes an all-out effort to help herself.
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