Have you heard of this man named Bao Tong? Once a top aide to Zhao Ziyang, a former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, he now lives under virtual house arrest, his every move observed, every visitor screened by a handful of guards and every conversation presumably monitored.
Of course, the Chinese government would like him to just fade into oblivion and to live out his days in his home, reading, caring for his goldfish or walking in the park but instead, he is spearheading a movement to bring political change to the nation.
This link at The New York Times has news about Bao Tong, including commentary and archival articles that were published in The New York Times.
Wikipedia has this to say about him:
Bao Tong (born. 1932) was former Director of the Office of Political Reform of the CPC Central Committee and the Policy Secretary of Zhao Ziyang, Premier of the State Council, from 1980 to 1985. He was also Director of the Drafting Committee for the CCP 13th Party Congresses, known for its strong support for Reform and the Open-door Policy. Prior to this, he was a committee member and then Deputy Director of the Chinese State Commission for Economic Reform.
He was born in Haining, Zhejiang Province, but currently lives in Beijing, where he lives with his wife, Jiang Zongcao, his daughter Bao Jian, and granddaughter Bao Yangyang. He has a son, Bao Pu, who resides abroad.
On May 28, 1989, he was arrested in Beijing just before the crushing of the democracy movement in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. Zhao Ziyang had resigned as General Secretary of the CCP in protest when Deng Xiaoping made the decision to crack down on the students. Bao Tong was a close associate of Zhao and the writer of his speeches and editorials supporting a democratic and legal approach to the student movement. Zhao was held under house arrest for the rest of his life, while Bao Tong was officially charged with "revealing state secrets and counter-revolutionary propagandizing", the highest government official to be charged in relation to the 1989 movement. He was publicly convicted in 1992 in a brief show trial and sentenced to 7 seven years' imprisonment with 2 years deprivation of political rights. He served his full sentence in isolation at Qincheng Prison.
Bao Tong continues to write articles openly critical of the government and its policies. He appealed for the restoration of civil and political rights of Zhao Ziyang from 1998 until Zhao's death; he supports further democratic development in Hong Kong and continues to voice the need for political reform in China.
Recently, Bao Tong has repeatedly questioned the authoritarian nature of China's central government and helped to draft Charter 08, a lengthy pro-democracy manifesto that was made public on Dec. 10 2008.
According to Wikipedia:
Charter 08 (Língbā Xiànzhāng) is a manifesto signed by over 303 Chinese intellectuals and human rights activists to promote political reform and democratization in the People's Republic of China. [1]
“ This year is the 100th year of China's Constitution, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 30th anniversary of the birth of the Democracy Wall, and the 10th year since China signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. After experiencing a prolonged period of human rights disasters and a tortuous struggle and resistance, the awakening Chinese citizens are increasingly and more clearly recognizing that freedom, equality, and human rights are universal common values shared by all humankind, and that democracy, a republic, and constitutionalism constitute the basic structural framework of modern governance. A "modernization" bereft of these universal values and this basic political framework is a disastrous process that deprives humans of their rights, corrodes human nature, and destroys human dignity. Where will China head in the 21st century? Continue a "modernization" under this kind of authoritarian rule? Or recognize universal values, assimilate into the mainstream civilization, and build a democratic political system? This is a major decision that cannot be avoided.[2] ”
As a document of Chinese origin, it is unusual in calling for greater freedom of expression and for free elections. It was published on 10 December 2008, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and its name is a reference to Charter 77, issued by dissidents in Czechoslovakia.[3]
Since its release, more than 8,100 people inside and outside of China have signed the charter.
TIME magazine (February 9th 2009) reports:
In an interview with TIME, Bao Tong says his decision to sign the charter comes from a long-held regret over joining the Party. "Sixty years ago I wanted violence. In order to promote Leninism and communism, I joined this party. I made this mistake. I signed Charter 08 to correct my mistake of 60 years ago," says Bao. At 76, his face is visibly weary. But he sits with an erect posture, and his eyes flash as he discusses history and politics in the Beijing apartment he shares with his wife, Jiang Zongcao, 76. "This is not about using violent means to change society," he says. "It's about using peaceful, rational means. Everything I do can be boiled down to one word: patriotism."
Chinese officials have said that now, when the country is straining under the growing pressures of the global downturn and spending billions to help create jobs, is the worst time to call for democratization. Bao argues that economic challenges need to be met with political progress. "Because we have an economic crisis, we need to bring the people together," he says. "We can't take every difference and dissatisfaction and let it intensify. Human rights, democracy, republicanism — these help eliminate, not intensify, conflicts."
TIME and many other internet sources report at length about how the Chinese authorities have interrogated more than 100 of the Charter 08's original signatories. It is inspiring to read how the opposition to his efforts has spurred and not muzzled him from speaking out. Despite being imprisoned, he said:
"If I hadn't had that experience, there is no way I'd be so clear," he says. "It freed my thinking. It freed my eyes. It freed my mouth."
No wonder he is regarded as a champion of democracy. While it is inspiring to read reports of men of valor like Bao Tong, a little closer home are many unsung heroes who labor and plod on for the cause in our midst and we all know who they are and appreciate the diligent and selfless effort they are putting in for the rest of us. The point I am trying to make is that in the light of very disturbing trends, we must not be discouraged but instead, remain positive and seek ways in which we can uphold democratic principles in our country and to avoid pitfalls in the process.
May God bless our country and raise more champions of democracy for the rakyat.
Recently, the Sunday Star reported the likelihood of a cut in electricity rates by Tenaga National Berhad. This claim was further buttressed by Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor's comment that he would brief the Malaysian Cabinet on this matter on Wednesday. Of course, one of the main factors that has caused a change in this direction would be oil prices that continue to plummet. I believe that we should be prudent and instead of celebrating cheaper tariffs, the time has come for us to come to grips with our sinking fortunes.
Take a look at 2008. I don't think many of us will want to remember it. I most certainly will not miss that year. And why so? It was a year when stock markets tanked, government budgets bled as millions or billions went to bail out banks, hundreds of thousands lost their jobs and/or homes. So is there is a reason to celebrate that filling our car tanks is now a cheaper exercise or that we do not have to think twice about switching on our air-conditioners? The fact is, after hitting a high of USD147 a barrel in July, world oil prices have crashed to their lowest levels since 2004. Click here for the latest oil price.
While on one hand car owners, airlines and any person/company that uses lots of fuel can be grinning from ear to ear at plunging oil prices, it is a season of reckoning for oil-producing countries. And why so?
For so long, such nations were so used to their windfall that they did not take steps for such a depressing scenario and are coming to grips with their tumbling revenues. How may oil-producing nations be affected?
* Massive cuts in public spending
* Unemployment
* Inflation
* Political and social unrest
* Higher crime rate as a result of some of the above-mentioned effects
* Lower national income which could lead to governments being forced to flex their muscles in fiscal and monetary policies
* Reduction in expenditure on public health/housing and other public/social goods
A look at Russia can tell us the magnitude of the problem. Recent reports claim that Russian officials squirreled away at least USD600 billion in cash reserves during the years of soaring energy prices. Its economic growth has fallen from 7% to 2% while its stock index is down by 70%. Its investors have withdrawn USD190 billion since last August. Zeljko Bogetic, the World Bank's chief economist in Moscow, warned investors last month that if the oil price drops to $30 a barrel and stays at that level through 2010, Russia would be forced to empty the rest of its cash reserves and borrow money abroad. "Clearly we are in the middle of a major growth recession in Russia," Bogetic said.
Across the other side of the globe, Venezuela is in deep recession. The price Caracas gets for its oil has dropped some 70% since July to about $31 a barrel. In Iran, the price crash has plummeled Iran's foreign earnings, 85% of which come from its shipments of 3.8 million barrels of oil a day. Last summer the country was garnering about $300 million a month from oil and natural gas. This month it's likely to make just $100 million, according to Saeed Leylaz, an economist in Tehran who edits the business newspaper Sarmayeh.
And what is happening in Malaysia? I dread to even google the statistics for our country and to maintain my sanity, peace of mind and to ensure that I can sleep peacefully, I chose instead to focus on Russia and other countries. At the same time, we must remember that our leaders are busy (sic) with other issues.
At the 151st (Extraordinary) Meeting of the OPEC Conference in December 2008, 11 OPEC oil ministers voted to reduce production by 2 million barrels a day. Now bear in mind that this is the BIGGEST production cut in the 48-year history of the organization. Looking the trend in recent weeks, it is obvious to me that even such a move may fail to push up prices because it is the dramatic slowdown in global growth, and NOT an oil glut, that is driving oil prices downwards.
A few days ago, the fried rice hawker near my home told me that his business had dropped by 40% even with the Chinese New Year crowd. His face was in anguish when he lamented that it would probably be even worse after the Chinese New Year.
Another blog reader emailed me and shared about how low are interest rates in UK and Scotland and how long it took for the British government to declare that the country is in recession. Currently, interest rates there are at 1% for deposits while for loans, it is at 8% despite the fact that the government has pumped in money into the economy.
I know today is the last day of the Chinese New Year and I sound like a prophetess of doom but the fact is, our fortunes are sinking and the future seems bleak. But I have to be pragmatic. When we get lower tariffs, think again of the implications. Think beyond the savings but think about tightening belts and riding this wave of recession. May God help our leaders to steer our country in the right direction.
* Click here for What's Behind (and Ahead for) the Plunging Price of Oil.
There are precious lessons to be learnt from this scenario. Please click on the image to enlarge.
Do read it and think of recent events in a particular state of this country and then perhaps shed a tear or two for the fact that instead of progressing, some are actually regressing due to their personal hangups. If only leaders can see beyond themselves...then perhaps they can get out of their own backyard and build this nation.
Life is beautiful when we have people we love and whom we love to share it with us. To reinforce that point, I have decided to post my favourite video of the best wedding toast that I have ever seen in my life. So much raw emotion, joy, love, strong bonds of friendship that can be seen in the faces, heard in the voices, felt in the music and the lyrics....oh you have to watch it to relish the moments and let the tears just roll down your face.
I only hope that one day, when my boys get married ;), they will arrange something like this.
Imagine all the effort that went behind the scene...the script, compositions, rehearsals, choregraphy oh the works. Enough talking...please enjoy 'Amy's Song' and leave a comment if you wish. Thanks! Have a nice day/evening wherever you are.
Best Wedding Toast Ever!!!! (Amy's Song) -
