Came across this interesting observation yesterday as the CCP commemorated the 30th anniversary of "reform and opening up". This is the point in history when the era of reform crossed the half way mark in the PRC's total years in existence of 59 years. As a fan of symmetry (and wholly without any rational basis whatsoever), if we use 1978 as the mid-way mark from the founding of the CCP in [correction 1921 (i.e. 57 years)] and speculate a future breakthrough(?) in the CCP itself, I venture the year to watch would be ..... [correction 2035]. I am doing that (half) in jest of course. Does that corroborates with your more learned and rational calculation?
Not many political parties have lasted more than 100 years. Certainly not in continuous power. The CCP is far from perfect but it is far from condemned, but they have a lot of work to do. Because - like General Motors - like it or not, it is so big that if alive it better healthy and if it has to die then better be a soft landing than with a crash.
I believe a good portion of the CCP especially the Central Government are smart and committed patriots in the best possible sense. Just by being the only "party" in town (literally), good people have no choice but to work for the nation "through" them, whether or not they believe in the ideology. But being the only party in town also means that it also attracted all other sorts of other animals who are after power and wealth. Unfortunately, as the private sector becomes more developed and attractive as a career option, the public sector (including the CCP) will tend to lose the good people faster than the bad.
Telling one from the other; to promote one and clear the other away becomes the central imperative. This is the fundamental issue for any single party state. The response to this dillemma is what differentiates the PAP from other ruling parties; that they actively recruit the best and brightest into politics while making it difficult (i.e. strong culture of integrity coupled with the cadre system) for people who become a member for ulterior motives.
One of the great legacies of Deng Xiaoping for the CCP is its focus on pragmatism and focus on competence ahead of ideology. It may not work 100% of the time but its something to cherish, enshrine and expand into the central organizational culture, because this is what saved China in the last 30 years.
However that takes care of only half the equation. The other half is integrity and accountability.
One hopes internal party reforms move first and foremost towards rule of law and internal party democracy. Rule of law applied without fear or favour is still the best way to ensure integrity. The current tendency towards factionalism is far worse because it places personality over the law - traditionally the downfall of "Chinese" institutions throughout the ages and throughout the Chinese diaspora even. On this the CCP is not immune.
It's often argued that China is "not ready" for democracy because of the socio-economic or educational levels of its population. (I have some sympathy with that argument because liberal democratic experiments tend to fail quite dramatically in Third-World situations. It is very probable that the average person in Third World democracies would swap what they "enjoy" for the CCP. But I digress.) But can the same argument be made for democracy amongst CCP members? Surely that is a viable. The purpose for democracy is simple: power should come with accountability. At its most basic, democracy is accountability to one's peers (as citizens or party members).
Pragmatism, competence, integrity, rule of law and democratic accountability. To me, these are sound foundations for CCP's transformation and coincidentally for its sustainability. Beginning first internally then using itself as a model for going forward and outward - in doing so, living up to its ideological rhetoric as a model for progressive force in society.
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3 comments:
Bro,
CCP or the usual abbreviation by mainland press is CPC for The Communist Party of China, was founded on July 1, 1921 in Shanghai, China
Just last week, Hu Jintao, at a high profiled function celebrating 30 years of reform and liberation, set his eye on two objectives.
First and the better known, by 2021, after 100 years of CCP founding, China shall reach the level of moderately prosperous society (小康社会).
Second, by 2049, 100 years after PRC, China shall be a modern, democratic and harmonious nation.
Actually CCP itself and the leadership have been talking about the intra-party democracy. The issue is the pace of intra-party democratization.
I muse about "post-2022" in an earlier post and am still sticking to that projection.
Let us define what is intra-party democracy - in the most simplest term - the party hierarchy including that of the standing committee is freely and openly contested. It maybe latter than 2022 but not earlier.
Thus, many are frustrated and have no illussion of party reform to bring about speedier changes. This, I believe, is the prinpal motivation in drafting charter 08.
I have also said many times before that CCP is not ready to share power for many years to come. The idea of multi-party system may be less realistic than a multi-factional single party system.
From a revolutionary to an evolutionary party, CCP is threading the thin ice very carefully, one to preseve its monopoly of power, second, as you say, they are genuinely committed for the cause of China. Though it has yet to say they are pursuing life, liberty and happiness. Hu has said the pursuit of happy life as the goal.
Hope againist hope, the best bet is still with CCP. I still prefer the moderation approach towards CCP, as opposed to a drastic one, in perfecting China.
Bro,
I most agree with you for the use of the term, "perfecting" China because that is exactly it. What is at stake should not be criticism just for the sake of it, and its not just about the CCP or who has the political power; the focus should be a strategic discussion about the direction of China's national renaissance. i.e. what exactly are the values and character of modern China?
The most interesting fact I realised amidst all these is that, for once, China can actually have a discussion about long term ideals. The typical sets of challenges that China faces is often so massive and daunting; what passes for crisis in most other parts of the world seem ordinary course of business for China. In the context of Chinese history even 30 years of relative peace is rare (even without unprecedented leaps in prosperity). Just being able to look ahead to 20 years or 50 or 100years more of peace and prosperity would be a historic achievement.
One only wish there are sincere reasonable alternative voices to the CCP in this debate.
There is another element of democratisation - even in intra-party democracy - which you referred to earlier posts but had not been mentioned this time round. And that is a professional national rule-based government machinery that is decoupled from the CCP. Even now, the system flirts with dysfunction all the time when government machinery serves the factional, regional or personal interests even more than the CCP interest and the national interest.
This actually goes back to your earlier post, that the real test - and the real beginnings - of political reform actually begins on such elementary and unsexy areas. Otherwise its tempting chaos.
This is the link to the speech Hu Jintao recently made on Dec 18, 2008, in commenorating the 30 years of reform and liberation.
http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2008-12/18/content_10524481.htm
It is rather long. The stated objevtives are:
我們的偉大目標是，到我們黨成立１００年時建成惠及十幾億人口的更高水平的小康社會，到新中國成立１００年時基本實現現代化，建成富強民主文明和諧的社會主義現代化國家
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