Article

2005-09-19 China-Japan-Koreas

China tackles 'threat' of voting spreading

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Seafarious 2005-09-19 00:00|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Democracy is viral. It is just so efficient compared to any other decision making process, that it worms its way into more and more systems. The relatively few systems where it doesn't belong, such as the military, have to be very clear about the chain of command and have top to bottom discipline unheard of in the civilian world.

Ironically, the Chinese government fears democracy because they associate it with anarchy, when in fact it is even more ordered than Confusianism, although it appears chaotic on the surface. If done carefully it would not threaten their power, it would guarantee it. China would remain China. Much to their surprise, the Chinese people would vote like the Chinese government currently votes.

The "one-party" state vs. the "two- or more-party" state argument is far less important. The Chinese already have several de facto parties within the communist party apparatus, but all are what could be called "the loyal opposition". Factions based as much as anything else on personalities and animosities.

All told, China under full democracy would be much like China today. It would still have to be authoritarian, it would still have innumerable problems, but its solutions would be far better. Solutions with greater harmony, as they might say.

Last but not least, the central government would be enormously strengthened by democracy. Right now, it is quite popular with the people, but they feel disconnected from it by unresponsive local and regional government. Many of the protests are trying to communicate one message to the central government: "The local government is not obeying you. We want them to obey you."

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-09-19 21:03|| 2005-09-19 21:03|| Front Page Top

00:03 Douglas Adams
00:02 john
23:57 11A5S
23:50 mac
23:49 Zhang Fei
23:46 Zhang Fei
23:44 Zhang Fei
23:44 jules 2
23:35 Alaska Paul
23:31 Redneck Jim
23:30 Zhang Fei
23:27 11A5S
23:26 john
23:20 john
23:20 thibaud (aka lex)
23:19 RWV
23:18 C-Low
23:16 C-Low
23:15 RWV
23:06 thibaud (aka lex)
23:05 Zhang Fei
23:04 RWV
23:03 thibaud (aka lex)
23:01 SteveS