Chinese Communist Party expands exploration of “Chinese-style democracy”
Peter Terpstra
The Xinhua News Agency reports that the Chinese Communist Party has decided to
increase democratic procedures within the party to explore “the political path
of Chinese-style democratization.”
“A number of theoreticians within the party point out that in the nearly 60
years that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has held power, it has adapt to
changes in the world, nation and party, and is currently devoting its efforts
to exploring a ‘Chinese-style democratic political path’ which uses the
expansion of internal party democracy to lead democracy amongst the people.”
“They predict that at the 4th plenary session of the 17th Central Committee, a
number of new systemic measures will be proposed for hastening the
establishment of internal party democracy. From the 15th to the 18th of this
month, the 4th plenary session will be convened, and confirmation has been
made that its main focus will be strengthening and improving the party under
new circumstances.”
“Cai Xia, a professor with the Party Establishment Department of the Central
Party School has pointed out that this year, Hu Jintao has prominently
emphasized the promotion of the establishment of internal party democracy,
stating that it is a ’strategic mission’ which is part of the grand project of
comprehensive promotion of party improvement. The 4th Plenary Session will
approve the ‘Central Party Resolution Concerning Several Major Issues in
Relation to the Strengthening and Improvement of the Party under New
Circumstances.’ How this ’strategic implementation’ will be fulfilled, is
worth high anticipation.”
“The establishment of Chinese democracy is a ‘viable path’”
“‘The Chinese Communist Party is China’s ruling party, and occupies the most
core position within the entire state political system.’ Cai Xai said during a
special interview with Xinhua reporters that ‘reform and improvement of the
Chinese political system, the promotion of political and civilizational
development, is to a significant extent determined by the internal party
situation, and determined by the party’s establishment mechanisms.’”
“The Chinese Communist Party, since 1949 when it first obtained power and had
4.4 million party members, has developed today into a huge party which has
nearly 76 million party members.”
“A more profound change is that the CCP has already changed from a party that
led the people in the struggle to obtain political authority over the entire
country, into a party which leads the people in wielding political power and
long-term incumbency; it has changed from a party which led the country under
conditions of closure to the rest of the world and economic planning, into a
party which leads the country under conditions of openness to the outside
world and market economy conditions.”
“Cai Xia said that ‘reform of party mechanisms whose distinctive hallmarks
were a high degree of concentration, and a gradual shift towards party
mechanisms whose distinctive hallmarks are internal party democracy and
systemization, are the already the path that we must inevitably follow.’”
“‘Under a system of economic planning, the problems that develop in the party
involve th eexercise exclusive power. Under a market economy, the problems
that develop involve corruption’, says Cai Xia. ‘The Central Party today must
resolve the problem of preventing and dealing with corruption, and must also
establish democratic mechanisms within the party.’”
“This expert pointed out that the lesson of historical experience indicates
clearly that the development of internal party democracy relates to the
survival and development of the party, the overall political situation of the
party and state, as well as the future fate of China.”
“During over thirty years of reofrm and liberalization, the process of
internal democratization of China’s ruling party has continually strengthened,
and is considered an outstanding accomplishment of China’s political
development.”
“Renowned political scholar and vice-head of the Central Editing and
Translation Department, Yu Keping, points out that the 16th National Congress
of the Chinese Communist Party was the first to assert that ‘internal party
democracy is the life of the party’, and make it part of the common consensus
of the whole party. At present, the CCP has tentatively established a systemic
frameowrk for internal party democracy, and the democratization of internal
party election. Openness has markedly increased, and the role of the party’s
representative organizations has continually strengthened. The openness of
party affairs and internal party supervision has also achieved substantive
progress.”
“‘The CCP is fully aware of the major role that internal party democracy plays
in the promotion of democracy amongst the people’, says Wang Changjiang, the
chairman of the Party Construction Department of the Central Party School.
‘The development of internal party democracy is an urgent matter. Otherwise,
we will fall behind the times.’”
“The term ‘democracy’ was mentioned over 60 times in the report for the 17th
National Congress of the CCP.In particular, the report clearly stated that it
is necessary to ‘expand internal party democracy to stimulate democracy
amongst the people, increase internal party harmony to foster social harmony.’
Li Yuanchao, the head of the Central Organization Department remarks and this
is an effective path for the establishment of Chinese-style socialist
democracy.”
“The core of internal party authority shifts downwards towards party members”
“The 17th National Congress submitted the thesis of ‘respecing the primary
position of party members.’ This was the first time that the concept had
appeared in a report by one of the CCP’s representative bodies. Cai Xia
believes that this signals that the party’s operating mechanisms are shifting
from a high-level of concentration towards democratization, and that its
immense significance cannot be underestimated.”
“‘The intrinsic character of internal party democracy is that all party
members serve as the leaders of the party, and that all authority within the
party belongs to party members’, says Cai Xia. The promotion of the idea of
the ‘primary position of party members’ means that the core of internal party
authority is gradually shifting towards party members. This will cause a
series of adjustments to relationships and systems.”
“Following the 17th National Congress of the CCP, the development of CCP
internal party democracy has attracted a great deal of attention. This has
included: the selection of a number of counties (as well as cities and
districts) for trials of party representation, to provide a fuller theoretical
and practical basis for the comprehensive promotion of this sytem; the
improvement of the candidate nomination system and election procedures,
deepning of reform of internal party elections, and exploring various methods
for expanding democratic measures at all levels within the party.”
“Recently, 363 urban community party committees in Nanjing city have adopted
‘public promotion and direct election’ methods. This is the first time that
the CCP in its 60 years of rule has trialled direct elections within the party
in an urban setting, and the turnout rate was over 90%.”
“Yang Xuezhong, the head of the CCP Organization Department in Baixia
District, Nanjing city, said that these measures enabled even more members of
the public and the party to participate in public election procedures. ‘This
is a mechanism for equal, democratic competition for choosing the best
candidates.’ He says that ‘relying on these competitive mechanisms for the
selection of appointees will enable us to obtain the best candidates, winning
the support of party members and the public, and influencing the overall
democratic trend in society.”
“CCP confronts the new issue of promoting national democracy”
“Experts on the party have expressed their approval of the systematic
exploration of internal party democracy in Nanjing. ‘Democracy is expanding’,
says Cai Xia, ‘The establishment of internal party democracy is comparable to
soldiers crossing a river - once they have started to proceed, they cannot
turn back.”
Title of original news story in Chinese: 中共提速党内民主进程探索中国式民主政治道路
http://news.sohu.com/20090915/n266731697.shtml
--
Amnesty International Report 2009 on China:
http://report2009.amnesty.org/en/regions/asia-pacific/china
Peter Terpstra
> So 4% control the remaining 96%.=20
>
> "Tell the young people that and they won't believe ya!" Thank you Monty
> Python.
In former east Europe communistic support was always under the 10%
The last sentences I liked the most:
“Experts on the party have expressed their approval of the systematic
exploration of internal party democracy in Nanjing. ‘Democracy is expanding’,
says Cai Xia, ‘The establishment of internal party democracy is comparable to
soldiers crossing a river - once they have started to proceed, they cannot
turn back.”
Peter