Zhiyong as a Representitive of People’s Congress
One symbolic case is, Zhiyong run for a seat in People’s Congress in Beijing. I opened my eyes so widely when I heard about it. “How can it be possible?” I asked.
Zhiyong is a practical idealist. He is so “naive” to believe that it MAY work. He then run for it (not many people even think about it), and since he is the first independant person to run for it, and did some work to help people to know who he is, not surprisingly, many people choose him, because he is the only person they know. His initial idea is to become a representitive of the People’s Congress of Haidian District of Beijing, and then run for Beijing and finally be able to run for the National People’s Congress, but his attempt just stopped in the Haidian district level, since the Beijing’s People’s Congress Representitives are elected by the representitives like Zhiyong at district level. It means, they need many people like Zhiyong to make it really work, but now, there are just one person who are really elected in that district. It is impossible for other “appointed” representitive to elect him or any other people elected representitive.
Regardless of the result, I think he is doing the right thing to push the limit by the first step. If it is proven to be a feasible way, that is the most stable and harmless way to change this society.
Framework that Does not Work
The people’s congress representitive mechanism is a good system by design, but in reality, that does not work as it is designed. Instead of designing another working system by theory, but does not work in reality, it is more practical to work on improving the current system. No matter how hard it is, it is still a feasible approach since the same problem will bother all societies.
Another lawyer YLFer was involved in creating the Constitution and foundamental laws of Cambodia. After years of hard work, the system itself was pretty much in shape – in theory, it should work perfectly. But when I asked him about whether he is confident about democracy in Cambodia, he said no. That is the difference between a reasonable law (documents) and the reality.
To design a better system is 1 billion times easier than implementing a working system.
In that sense, I am feel Zhiyong is on the right path.
My Practice
Unlike Zhiyong, my profession is not a lawyer, and to do my best as an entreprenure is the best thing I can do for my users, and for my employees, for my investors, and my family and this country. However, I did push hard to at certain stuff.
The thing I devote most is the residential area democratic practice. No matter how big the change of national wide system is, all the house owners of a residential area need to find a workable way (The Chinese way) to collectively make decisions on the collective property. That is the lacking part. Without a working system, procedures, and even meeting orders at residential area level, I cannot imagine at higher level it can work. That is consistent with what Zhiyong is doing.
helpful explanation of how People’s Congress works and the ways in which Xu Zhiyong was working within the legal and political system. I sense the passion and love for the country and the desire to improve it, even in the face of such huge challenges.
I don’t think China is unique regarding this. People in every country struggled for their rights in the history. China is just a little bit later mover.
As you said “To design a better system is 1 billion times easier than implementing a working system.”, the reason of it because people started in wrong way.
If the owner of the power do not want the system to be working in the originally expected perfect way as you mentioned, they break the rule and ignore the law, and power over the justice, that is the reason Zhiyong was arrested illegally, and make people like you feel helpless even Zhiyong is thought by most people a good person. At the current stage the “law” is not represent of public’s will but some small groups’ will. Can you tell me that how long time that a person can be legally detained in the custody without being sued to the court? What right should a person in custody have? People like Zhiyong think they can improve in their own step to make the country better, and the reality had taught all of us what they are headed.
Another thing about democratic progressing why are you people think it should started from the small unit such as town or village will work? The people works in the local government or the people who is rich and close to the government people will always have better resources to control the power. Why shouldn’t the democratic procedures started from the inside of the group of people who claimed they always be advanced than normal people and be “great, glorious, and correctness” and owns the actual power of the country? If they are really are and they really do, the other people will take their action as model to follow, so is the solution. Start from the grass root in such kind of environment will never work.
Your approach may be a “right” way because that you and your family are safe, that will not headed in Zhiyong’s situation even he has done nothing wrong in his legitimate knowledge and thinking. But why people who elected to make a seat of “People’s” congress meeting must be a lawyer? That’s not the system designed and meant to.
If you live in a real world you should have heard the news that some of the rich people had made a seat to the CPPCC(Political Consulative Conference) and submitted the proposal to limit the rights of the poor employees to enforce the company owners’ rights. How do you think about that? Why there is no voice equality for the poor in CPPCC or NSCSC?
That is the reality of China that make small group of people happy and most people feel hopeless. Zhiyong’s experience is just another proof.
According to Laozi’s word: “以智治国，国之贼；不以智治国，国之福”, to my understanding is the people in power who think themselves are smarter than others so they rule the country with their own idea with ignoring other’s suggestion and idea, that would be the disaster of the country, and vise versa. I think that’s a kind of representation of democratic idea from ancient China.
You are wrong. The current constitution says the power belongs to the Party.