What Xu Zhiyong Stands For

On the China Beat blog, our former colleague Susan Jakes takes a look at the breadth and boldness of detained legal scholar Xu Zhiyong’s work:

Xu has a knack for seeing what’s possible where others see only futility. In 2003 and again in 2006 he ran as one of China’s handful of independent—that is, not CCP pre-approved—candidates in an election for his district People’s Congress. He not only won by a landslide, but in both of his terms in office has sought to prove through his actions—by providing constituent services, demanding budget reviews, preventing the relocation of the Beijing Zoo and lobbying on behalf of aggrieved dog owners—that the congress was not the parody of a political institution it sometimes seemed to be. “Actually,” he explained, “the People’s Congress has real power. It’s just that people don’t take it seriously.” I interviewed Xu shortly after his first election. When I asked him how he decided to run, he looked at me evenly for a moment before replying. “I ran,” he said, “because the law allows me to.”

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  • conscienceinchina

    Can he ran “the people’s congress” to fire the retroacting Hu Jintao and inept Wen Jiabao? The CCP does not mind the small beer played by Xu and his counterparts.

  • http://china.lightroomgalleria.com china.lightroomgalleria.com

    At Fools Mountain there is a debate about Xu. If you guys are interested in learning more about what he was doing in China, I highly recomment you take a look:

    http://blog.foolsmountain.com/2009/08/08/where-in-china-is-xu-zhiyong/?wpc=dlc#comment-45058

  • chinatsunami

    Xu Zhiyong stands for naivety and day-dreaming Gull-ups in fools mountain.

    One reality he missed is that in the entire Chinese history, the change of regime and power is the result of violent upheavals. There is no place for democratic election. It is clearly not in the Chinese blood.

    He should have known better that “ 江山是打回来的, 不是选出来的“.

    Odd ball like this should be sent to labor camp for re-education, so that the society would have become more harmonized.

  • chinatsunami

    What my left-wing friend has to say in his editorial in Oriental Daily, a well known “patriotic” and CCP loving newspaper in HKG.

    Take the cue from Singapore’s PAP techniques, bankrupt and silence this lawyer by charges of “tax evasion”. He has been an eyesore of social universal harmony.

    —————————————————————–
    本文重點: 律師須講政治 維穩大過維權

    遷怒律師 殺一儆百

    建國六十大慶前夕,司法當局加強了對律師行業的政治整肅,多名「維權律師」或被警告、撤銷執照,或遭拘捕。司法部長吳愛英公開要求各地對律師代理敏感案件和群體事件進行指導,並稱律師必須「講政治、顧大局、守紀律」。「律師講政治」一說引來劣評如潮,網民狂批司法部長「妨礙司法公正」。

    新華社同時披露,中共黨的組織及其工作對律師行業已經實現「全覆蓋」,即全國一萬四千多家律師事務所中,近三千四百家單獨建立中共支部,八千多家建立聯合支部,二千七百多家無中共黨員的律師事務所,全部由中共機構派駐指導員或聯絡員。

    顯然,這次來勢洶洶的政治整肅行動是衝着律師頻頻介入維權事件而來。在司法當局看來,近期各地維權事件頻仍,動輒演變成示威、騷亂等群體性事件,影響社會穩定,多與部分律師幕後謀劃、煽風點火有關。司法部長要求「講政治」,無非是要律師將屁股坐在「黨和政府」這一邊;要求「講大局」則是告誡律師,替弱勢群體維權要有限度,不能危及維護社會穩定的最高政治目標。也就是說,律師在法律行為中,為了政治、大局和紀律,可以把法律放在次要地位,甚至棄置一旁。

    遷怒律師 殺一儆百

    本來,律師的天職就是依法維護當事人合法權益,這一原則普天認可,也受中國法律保護。因此,律師在履行職責時不可能、也不應該去「講政治」。否則,還要律師做甚麼?還要法律做甚麼?直接由中共黨組織仲裁不就得了?更何況,維穩和維權的概念互不相同,維穩是社會需要,維權關乎個體利益。老百姓打官司,出錢請律師替自己辯護,無理由要律師承擔「維穩」的責任。

    近年來,各地不斷發生大規模示威騷亂,原因多涉房屋拆遷、國企改制、環境污染及民工欠薪等,絕大部分責任在於政府濫權、官員貪腐,官商勾結侵害民眾利益。然而,當局非但沒有痛定思痛,吸取教訓,反而視維權律師為與政府對抗的異己分子,欲置之於死地而後快。最近,北京民間維權律師組織「公盟法律研究中心」被取締,該組織負責人被警方拘捕。這顯然是當局殺一儆百的舉動。事後有律師表示,「眼下涉及政治敏感的案件少有律師接手,風險太大,不小心就會把自己搭進去」。

    其實,律師介入維權既可以表達民眾訴求,亦有助於當局依法行政,完全可以成為處理、化解社會矛盾的重要環節,並不是存心和政府搞對抗。事實上,內地律師在維權事件中的表現愈來愈優秀和專業,例如湖北巴東鄧玉嬌刺死尋歡官員一案,鄧的兩名辯護律師忠於職守,令委託人成功獲釋,贏得各界讚許。

    曾幾何時,在「依法治國」的感召下,老百姓公民權利意識覺醒,開始利用法律,聘請律師維護自身的合法權益,當局理應鼓勵,樂觀其成才是,然而司法部長一句「講政治」,恍若時光倒流,難道中國人民真要重回「政治掛帥」的不堪年代?

    ————————————————————-

  • bylooker

    Cannot you people have an Id without china in it? You all have china in your Id and appear almost at the same time.

    Please tell me, are you all one person or belong to one organization?

  • chinatsunami

    There are Hongkies, Singies, and Chinkies, …and rarely a Gweilo-Ang Mo-Laowai is interested in this mixed bag of old China hands and naive mainland kids.

    However, I can assure you that none of them are TGs or Fa Lungong.

  • johnsmith9876

    This girl must be really crazy, or she won’t be sent to a mental hospital. Any Chinese girl refused to be raped should get their head examined, by a Chinese Psychiatric.

    http://tinyurl.com/ly3shn

  • johnsmith9876

    Another great example of the creativities within the CCP, especially in making money:
    http://tinyurl.com/lbnzyj

  • jordancfan

    I Do Not Like What Xu Zhiyong Stands For.

    By: Jordan C. Fan, Prophet of Environment.

    I Do Not Like What Xu Zhiyong Stands For. He is basically a trouble maker and opportunist who thinks that he is against all government policy will give he a chance for success.

    I especially object to his lobbying on behalf of dog owners. Dogs are useful as guide dogs for the blinds, police detective work and military scouting, herding live stocks, hunting and guarding houses and belongs. Other than that, having dogs as pets are against Environmental principles. Dogs are consuming our natural resources which human beings should take the highest priority of its consumptions. Dogs also generate a lot of waste including droppings which are very difficult to get rid of. Dogs could spread diseases similar to swine flu or parasites such as flea and ticks. Dog barking are very disturbing for hard working people who need some sleep to regain energy. In a crowded cities dogs not only generate solid and liquid waste pollution but also gases such as ammonium and nitrogen related waste gases, sulfur and related gases and carbon dioxide which could increase Green House effects and Global Warming. Stray dogs could ruin cities making it unsightly. Most important dogs on the street threaten pedestrians and discourage people from walking in favor of driving which will generate more waste of fuels and air pollution.

    As far as Myself as Prophet of Environment is concern Xu Zhiyong has very little understanding of any truth but using new and radical ideas to attract supports to gain fame and fortune. He must be gotten rid of immediately.

  • jordancfan

    China Should Reject People Like Xu Zhiyong.

    By: Jordan C. Fan, Prophet of Environment.

    To begin My discussion, I should point out that it is extremely foolish for any Chinese to say that China should adopt any foreign political ideologies into its own government. China is perfectly capable of reinventing any foreign ideas and makes them part of Communism. Beside, more than 100 millions Chinese, your relatives or mine, might have been dead to bring about Communism’s final success. In other words, Xu Zhiyong is a traitor of all Asian people.

    With the opening of the year 2008 Olympic in Beijing, the “Cold War” had ended. China & its Communism political ideology has successfully emerge as the winner of this highly destructive war. Tens of millions of lives have been lost & trillions of dollars of property damages all due to American aggression. Historically, East Asia has always been the habitats for Asian survival and development. Americans ivolvements in hese area during the Cold War are obviously aggression. To fully understand the history of the 20th century or beyond, we must understand the political system in China.

    There were little or no “politic” before the American Revolution for their independence from England in 1776. Monarchies as “political” leaders or alternatives were without political ideologies but the personalities of those monarchs which would dictate their government policies. We should all agree that politics or ideological difference of governments are really myths or deceptions. Its sole purpose is to overthrow or replace an existing government or political party. After such political transformations were completed, politic in those nations should become obsolete. As its replacements, there should only be constant but gradual improvements of the existing “political” framework to fit the need of their citizens. Frequent elections at all levels will be extremely wasteful, time consuming & inefficient.

    The United States used its own politic ideology as a deception during the Cold War to diverge attentions from its internal unrest since its Civil War. The process of mandatory & scheduled political changes even through elections are unnecessary because they always create instabilities. Currently, China is totally surrounded enemies from all direction and all over the world. They will attack China immediately if a weakness is found. I as Prophet of Environment can certainly help and defend China to win but all Chinese every where should also help and cooperate with the Chinese government. The first thing they need to do is stop all complains, forget the unpleasant past experience, and embrace Chinese Communism 100%. There should be no rooms left for foreigners to criticize the Chinese government. In short, all Chinese must reject all foreign criticisms of Chinese government or Communism.

    Since the Cold War had ended in 2008 with China’s victory, this world should follow the path of a careful & gradual transformation into Communism. In fact U. S. is currently embracing their own version socialism. There should not be any more blood sheds, destruction of property & waste to initiate anymore political changes. Communism indoctrination will be especially useful in integrating regions such as Macao, Hong Kong, & Tiwan back into Mainland. Learning process will go both ways. Mainland will also learn about the life styles of Chinese in those regions.

    In a given planet, there can only be one nation who can truly be democratic & independent at the same time. All other nations can either be undemocratically independent or seemingly democratic but were controlled by another stronger nation which in most cases is the U. S. The leaders of those small nations are nothing but puppets with no choices but to follow American orders. This is the reason why the U. S. is so anxious in converting other nations into “democracy”

    For Communismt to work perfectly, citizen must be relatively well educated, unselfish & well trained. My own interpretation of “revisionism” as being a political system which can be easily refined & improved. More importantly, we need an extremely long foresight to be able to look into the very distant future and not restrict short term gains. China had survived the latter therefore should be posed to become successful. People of a communist nation must be able to take sacrifice & not operate totally on profit. The failure of PRC’s communism at its early stage were simply due to U. S. embargo & boycott in areas such as commerce & technology transfer.

    Chinese still refuse to accept the fact that their leaders are also one of them. (In reality their leader’s belongings can also be shared &) Whatever that leader do is not only for their own good but are for other citizens also. This is the exact opposite to U. S. chief executives who functions exclusively for their own personal gain. They work only for the sake of being reelected & remembered in history. The minute their terms are over, they will be long gone & left behind mountains of unresolvable problems. In fact, it is their duty to be gone & to be relieved after their terms are over.

    To put it very simply, Chinese must begin to treat their leaders as their parents. They are harsh, domineering & prone to making mistakes but somewhat responsive, naturally caring & they are permanent. We should remember that any social improvements toward perfection today will be limited by depleting resource & damaging Environment. Communication within the world’s biggest Chinese bureaucracy is difficult. If a better system can be established for leaders to give more attentions to their subordinates. With renew respect & trust from its citizens, China could be the ideal government in history.

  • http://cnreviews.com/business/research-insights/rebecca-mackinnon_20090811.html Rebecca MacKinnon, internet’s uncertain future and US-China relations | CNReviews

    [...] Zhiyong’s detention was also covered at length by China Geeks, AP, China Esquire blog, TIME’s China Blog, CDT, Asia Sentinel, The Peking Duck, and Evan [...]

  • Ffred

    This is off-topic, but here’s an interesting article on banks in China prioritizing loans to the people (as opposed to Western banks, which are not):

    http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/chinabuystheworld/2009/08/200981084418740760.html

  • chinabriefing

    the word china basically means mental turbulence, which is why you, smartly, have chosen to be a hanjian rather than to be a communist thief.

  • chinabriefing

    And by the way, where’s all your ‘i love my country crap’ given Taiwan’s current misfortune?

    Shows that you only love your country when you are paid by the CCP. And that goes for all your ‘patriotic’ friends.

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