ZHANG HECI
MELBOURNE, Aug. 13
Critics have described the Chinese government's anti-corruption campaign as just for show, batting at flies and letting the tiger go. When Chen Liangyu, a member of the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo and Party secretary of Shanghai, was arrested, some said it was due to Party power struggles, not because of a real effort to wipe out corruption. In my opinion, however, there is something wrong with these comments.
Chen Liangyu has not been sentenced yet. If the sentence is light, some will say that officials always escape serious punishment, or the "Shanghai Gang" is very powerful, or that the two Party factions -- the Shanghai Gang and the Communist Youth League group -- have reached a political deal. If the sentence is heavy, some will say it must be because President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao mean to attack their political opponents. If the sentence is death, some will say it is to kill the potential informant in order to protect some big figure.
I cannot say that these views do not make sense, but there is no need to be so negative. It may be true that as long as we have one-party rule, it is impossible to fundamentally solve the corruption problem. However, this does not justify a totally negative view of the Party's anti-corruption campaign.
Leaving aside the motives of the authorities -- whether they are fighting for political power or trying to maintain their power by dealing with a serious problem -- couldn't there still be positive impact from the anti-corruption campaign? The people are the direct victims of corruption -- robbed directly or indirectly by the damage corruption does to the country. Therefore, the people support the anti-corruption drive.
If the anti-corruption drive is a tool to carry out a Party power struggle, what is wrong with political infighting in the CCP? Unless the result is a Fascist power, infighting can only weaken the Party's rule. If the infighting were between military heads of different regions, the people would be badly affected. But in an anti-corruption fight, no matter what the motive is, the result will be the collapse of corrupt officials. This will not hurt the people at all, so why shouldn't we welcome it?
There may be some people who still believe that the central government is wise whereas local governments are foolish. There may be others who still long to believe in the sacred wisdom of the country's rulers and the justice of its judges. But for the majority, the anti-corruption campaign has provided a good civic education.
Seeing corrupt officials, company managers and village heads fall -- some of them toppled through the efforts of their victims -- they learn that fighting corruption is not just about CCP power struggles or a tactic to win their hearts and ease their complaints. It is also about citizens safeguarding their rights, and the victory of morality and justice. Anti-corruption measures may not produce a democratic society, but they can definitely weaken a despotic society.
Those who desire democracy in China should regard political infighting among top CCP officials as a good opportunity. Competition means restriction. Compared to a monopoly, competition is more beneficial to consumers. Whoever wins the power struggle within the Party will need the approval of civil society, and must be seen to represent morality and justice. No one dares to attack a political opponent who is not corrupt and not associating with evil-doers. This provides operational space for those seeking democracy, as well as a legal and effective way to expand social pressure for morality and justice.
The higher their positions are, the more officials care about long-term stability and the security of their positions. This is why the CCP is stressing stability and harmony today. The Party can see that widespread corruption is a threat to its authority.
Some say that one-party rule is the origin of corruption and that only by toppling the CCP can the problem of corruption be solved. In order to topple the CCP, some think we should encourage its officials in their corruption, hoping it will lead to their destruction. This thinking is very similar to that of Mao Zedong -- to change the people with property into people without property, and force them to take revolutionary action.
Actually, today's China may not have the opportunity to become totally corrupt. If corruption spreads only throughout the food and pharmaceutical industries, then even before the CCP is toppled, the Chinese people might already be poisoned to death, or dead of disease.
The present campaign to protect people's rights is focused on economic rights, and its target is mainly corrupt officials. So it will be hard to progress by supporting civil rights and opposing the anti-corruption campaign.
Corruption is a cancer China cannot overcome. No matter what the motive, as long as the CCP deals with corruption it is beneficial for the country and the people and should be supported. What's more, if the CCP continues its anti-corruption campaign, it will eventually strike a fatal blow to the dictatorial and despotic political system.
The Chinese people should be confident. As part of the worldwide advance toward democracy, the Chinese people should support what they think is right and oppose what they think is wrong, without fearing the Party.
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(Zhang Heci is a Chinese scholar and freelance writer based in Australia. This article is translated and edited from the Chinese by UPI Asia Online; the original can be found at www.ncn.org . ©Copyright Zhang Heci.)
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