Will democracy come to China?

By I. Wibowo

JAKARTA (JP): Is China heading toward democratization? Some would answer with a resounding "yes". There are a plethora of signs which indicate the coming of democracy to China today.

Prime Minister Zhu Rongji, in his opening address to the National People's Congress recently, sent a strong signal when he said: "We should fully promote democracy." The only respected leader in China is apparently referring to the election of village leaders taking place in 700,000 villages across China since 1987.

He may also have been referring to the experiment in some Chinese villages in which the party village/party branch secretary are elected by fellow villagers.

Outside observers consider this a farce because communist parties everywhere always claim absolute and single power. All Leninist parties believe that they are "the vanguard party", having a special mission to create a heaven on earth. Only they, not the people, know where the stairway to heaven is. That is why the party always tells the people that their future is bright as long as they follow the guidance of the party, and obey its commands.

Even more convincing, the party is ready to supervise lest the people go astray. The end result, however, is an authoritarian, if not totalitarian, government; a government that presumably knows best.

So Zhu's statement in front of the delegates of the National People's Congress cannot but be accepted in surprise. First, elections in villages are, in fact, conducted without serious enthusiasm on the part of the villagers who know very well that the "higher ups" actually decide the winners.

Second, after being elected, a leader is less a real leader for a village than a head of a committee (Villagers Committee or cummin wernamhul) who does not possess the real power of command. The village headman normally listens to complaints in the village and than makes a checklist. All important queries, however, have to be sent to the party branch secretary who always has the final say in the village.

The party secretary is indeed the true leader. But in the past 10 years there have been more and more party secretaries falling victim to all sorts of criticism and attacks from villagers. Hong Kong newspapers regularly report bloody incidents in villages involving angry peasants, such as in Hunan, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Sichuan provinces.

As village leaders no longer control the people's basic needs like in the commune era (as a result of reform introduced in 1978), peasants are becoming more and more assertive and most of the time take their cases into their own hands. They beat, attack and insult party secretaries.

The election of party secretaries is, presumably, a method meant to ameliorate the situation. By giving villagers the right to elect a party secretary, it is expected that they will more readily obey their leader. It is nothing but a legitimation process.

From the perspective of the party secretaries, it is important for them that they work with the full support of the people. But we do not know as yet the extent of the success of this experiment, which definitely contravenes the essence of a Leninist party. Outside observers, nevertheless, are skeptical about any experiment of this kind.

Given this contrary evidence, it is very hard to gauge the coming of democracy in China, despite Zhu's insistence. One should not forget that all current leaders in China are still deeply entrenched in Leninism. No political party outside the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is allowed to exist. If anyone attempts to establish a new party, as Xu Wenli did with the Chinese Democratic Party last year, he or she will be arrested without warrant. No voice outside the voice of the CCP is allowed to be heard. So many dissidents have paid a high price to express their opinions openly.

What about human rights? These are concepts which lie in the heart of democracy. Unfortunately, China takes first place when it comes to abusing human rights according to Human Rights Watch.

The rights of human beings in China are subject to the discretion of the CCP which reserves the right to define which rights should be accorded to the people. CCP argues, for instance, that Chinese people cannot enjoy the full extent of human rights because they should prioritize the "right of development". Of course, this may sound rational, but it also shows the ideological hegemony of the party vis-a-vis society.

The only hope for the Chinese to walk along the path of democracy comes from the economic reform taking place at this moment. When the days of the National People's Congress end, it is expected that the Constitution will be amended to make room for private enterprise as a legal activity in China.

In parallel with a previous statement on the "socialist market economy" (1992), this amendment will undoubtedly open the way to individual freedom, not only for doing business but also for pursuing private interests. Changes in economic policy, apparently, will affect politics in China. Once you are free to do business, you must also be free to protect your private interests, which are essentially your political rights.

After U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright recent visit to China, a big fuss was made over human rights and trade. The relationship between China and the U.S. is said to be seriously strained now. After waiting 10 years for the coming of democracy in China, ever since the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989, the U.S. may have become impatient.

The U.S has argued over past years that only by "engaging" China (not containing), especially by encouraging economic growth, will democracy follow. This kind of hope is certainly naive because political changes will not materialize in just 10 years. Clinton, perhaps, is eager to see the fruit of his "constructive engagement", and will use this as an ace in the coming election campaign next year. But Clinton and the Democrats will surely have to eat humble pie if they think that democracy will come this year.

Democracy in a Leninist state like China can only come from within through the courage of the people, coupled with various other means.