March 22, 2004

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A tale of two systems

Taiwan puts on an election with everything. An assassination attempt, a razor-thin victory for the incumbent, protests demanding a recount. It seems democracy makes for interesting times. Following the example set in 2000 by the Americans the result will be decided by the courts instead of the people but no-one said democracy was perfect. In fact often is a messy compromise as recent events in South Korea have also shown.

Let's consider the alternative. China's recent NPC (Parliament) session went by without a murmur of protest. Wanna know why? From the SCMP:

One day after being released from a forced "vacation" during the NPC session, veteran petitioner Guan Zengli and more than 100 colleagues protested against corruption outside the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's office last Wednesday.
As soon as the police relaxed their iron grip on the capital after the closing ceremony of the National People's Congress on March 14, protesters flocked to sites such as the commission, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Supreme People's Court and the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Outside the commission's office, Mr Guan met many other petitioners who were forced to take a two-week "holiday" in farmhouses or resorts on the capital's outskirts. When asked if security measures for this year's NPC were stricter under new Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan, Mr Guan said: "They were more sophisticated this year. They told me they were taking me to a rural area for a break. But I was not given a choice, even though I really did not want to go."
Happy holidays.

posted by Simon on 03.22.04 at 09:01 AM in the




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