Nobel prize to Liu Xiaobo is a boost to democratic forces
Liu Xiaobo is now 54. He has been awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize 'for long and non-violent struggle for human rights in China. He is the first Chinese citizen to have won the Nobel Peace Prize.
LIU XIAOBO, 54 has been awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize 'for long and non-violent struggle for human rights in China'. He is the first Chinese citizen to have won the Nobel Peace Prize. He is one of the three Nobel Laureates to have been awarded this prize while serving a term in prison. He does not even have a phone; and so does not yet know this. China, the most populated country in the world (having nearly one fourth of the world’s population (1,340 million out of 6,874 million) and is unfortunately under the rule of communists.
Communism was introduced in many countries in the world with untold violence. Those who took the law into their own hands in the name of ‘revolution’ spread a propaganda that communism was the panacea for all social, economic and political evils everywhere; they predicted that the proletariat would come to power and the ‘state’ would wither away; they promised equal distribution of wealth and power to all. In several countries, taking advantage of the gullible masses, a coterie seized political power, eliminated the opposition and enslaved the people.
This large scale fantasy called as communism came into existence and displayed in several shades although it lasted for a few decades in some countries. Though communism was sought to be maintained by ruthless measures, it crumbled under its own weight! The real reason for this was that the people understood the value of democracy in the field of politics and the value of entrepreneurship in the field of economics.
China developed its own brand of communism and tasted, like many others, abject failure in economic front. It threw its communist ideas to the wind and changed its economic policies; it encouraged entrepreneurship and freed its markets; and has made substantial progress in the last few decades. In its political front, China, however, has been refusing to change. There is a maxim, ‘Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely’. The political scenario has perfectly proved this.
The Chinese people are awakening, though slowly. They are longing for democracy. The single party dictatorship has been suppressing the people’s aspirations. The Tiananmen Square episode of 1989 highlighted the true nature of governance of China to the world.
Liu Xiaobo staged a hunger strike in Tiananmen Square and then negotiated peaceful withdrawal of the student-demonstrators, in the presence of thousands of soldiers around them ready to shoot. But had it not been for his courageous intervention the barbarian Tiananmen Square, massacre would have turned out to be worse!
Liu Xiaobo is a literary critic and a strong advocate of democracy. He has been jailed repeatedly and harassed by the Chinese government since 1989. Presently he is serving an 11 year term in jail for an alleged subversion. His crime was that he helped draw up a manifesto calling for free speech and multi-party elections. He was arrested in December 2008, two days before he and 300 other dissidents released the Charter '08 for democratic reform. Now he stands blacklisted from academia. He has been barred from publishing.
The Chinese government has reacted on expected lines. It has called the award ‘an obscenity’ and threatened that it would hurt ties between China and Norway.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Secretary of State has applauded the award to Liu Xizobo and observed, “Mr. Liu has been a consistent advocate for fundamental freedoms and human rights for his fellow citizens and for peaceful political reform. Mr. Liu's work, including his role in the drafting of Charter ’08, and his receipt of this honor highlight the fact that while China has made tremendous economic progress in the last three decades, political reform has lagged behind. As I said in Krakow this summer, governments should recognize the constructive role that citizens such as Liu Xiaobo play. We urge China to uphold its international human rights obligations and to respect the fundamental freedoms and human rights of all Chinese citizens. We reiterate our call for Liu Xiaobo’s immediate release from prison.”
Viewed in the light of brazen disregard China attaches to the enlightened international opinions, the people of China are in an unenviable position; they have to embolden themselves for great sacrifices and a prolonged struggle for establishing democracy in their country.
Beware India!
Indian citizens should understand that democracy is a great boon, extremely difficult to obtain. Our forefathers have made enormous sacrifices and secured it for us. Lack of spirit of nationalism, parochialism, rampant corruption at high levels, and criminalisation of politics are growing in India, due to recklessly selfish politicians. The people are not even aware of their folly in allowing third rate politicians a free hand. While the people of China are striving to get democracy, the people of India seem to be bent upon losing it. Unless they awake immediately, it would be too late.
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