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3 CHINA Guangdong
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commis of Someth
ший DEMOCRACY
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(See portarlarly sicklined rents)
FORMER 'RENMIN RIBAO' EDITOR: "PROMOTING DEMOCRACY IN CHINA”
'Changzhang Jingli Ribao' Chengdu in Chinese 11 Jan 93 p 3
[1]
Excerpts from article by Hu Jiwei, former chief editor of 'Renmin Ribao': “Establishing a Theory on Democracy, Promoting Democracy in China - Talks With Entrepreneurs About My View on Democracy”. All subheadings added editorially.
[INTRODUCTION]
...'Changzhang Jingli Ribao' invited me to contribute a special article to the column "A Thousand Years of Contact: Great
Discussion on China and the World”, which offered me an opportunity to discuss with entrepreneurs some of my views on democracy. That is very exciting to me, and I would like to express my thanks for the invitation.
It was only 10 years ago that I began to think about the issue of democracy. Reviewing the twists and turns and drawing bitter lessons from the experience over the past 50 years or so, I have a more and more profound belief that China definitely must develop democracy if it wants cultural renovation, political reform and economic prosperity; that without the founding of democracy, there will be no sound and happy life for the Chinese and there will be no progress and development for modern China. Therefore, I would like to devote my remaining years - which will not be a long period, as I am now in my seventies to the cause of founding China's theory on democracy and promoting democracy in this
country.
[DISCUSSING DEMOCRACY]
Let us start with the definition of democracy, since even now people are still arguing about such questions as "What is democracy?" This indicates, at least, that our society has still not reached a common understanding on democracy. So one can readily expect how the real conditions of democracy are in our society.
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By this I do not mean that democracy has been talked about too much. On the contrary, I think democracy has been scarcely discussed. Many people have shown little interest in this. As far as I know, no newspaper or journal has ever launched since the "Cultural Revolution", let alone during and before the "Cultural Revolution" - any discussion on such topics as "What is democracy in China?" and "What kind of democracy does China need?" Perhaps some people would argue that democracy cannot possibly be founded simply through plain discussion. But, as I see it, if you ignore
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democracy, or have no intention of discussing it, or do not
want to talk about it, or cannot or dare not talk of it, then, I am afraid, there will be no hope of introducing democracy, even if a small number of people wish to practise democracy. In China, democracy must be based on the understanding and consensus on democracy, and a consensus cannot possibly be reached without the understanding, expression and exchange of ideas on democracy...
[THE NATURE, DIGNITY AND VALUE OF MANI
I hold that as far as the value and purpose of and approach to the development of democracy in China are concerned, democracy is the defining of freedom and self-consciousness and the confirmation of social justice by all the citizens, in the form of law and on the premise of equality. Democracy is, in the first place, a concept and a value orientation which implies that man should reconfirm the nature, dignity and value of man. To an individual, man's nature rests with his freedom his endless desire and unlimited creative power; man's dignity rests with his sense and ability to identify, choose and realize values on his own; and man's emancipation lies in that he becomes the master of himself, while showing respect for others' wishes and rights to become the masters of themselves this implies that man has been physically liberated from the yoke of slavery and spiritually emancipated from the slavish traditions.
At the same time, one should realize that the realization of man's freedom and emancipation is by no means merely a personal affair; to this end people must establish a corresponding social order and state system, namely, democracy. In terms of its social function, democracy is a kind of social order, a state system to maintain social order, whose purpose is to ensure that "every individual's free development is the prerequisite for all people's free development" ("Manifesto of the Communist Party") and all the citizens will enjoy fuller and fuller real freedom and peace.
[DEMOCRACY IS NOT AUTOCRACY]
As a kind of order and system, democracy involves control and administration of people. However, democracy is definitely unlike autocracy, whereby a small number of people or even a single individual can arbitrarily control the majority of people; nor does it mean the majority's blind obedience to the administration by a small number of people. Under a democratic system, the only purpose of the exercise of state power and control and administration of people is to facilitate the realization and protection of civic rights. In this connection, the citizens' rights and obligations and the state's power should be defined and confirmed by all citizens, based on the principle of the minority subordinate to the majority. While enjoying rights, the citizens should perform their obligations. While exercising their power according to the law,
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