Shenzhen raises iron fist to protests
By Stephanie Wang
CHANGSHA, Hunan - The southern China region of Shenzhen got permission earlier
this year to run a pilot program for a radical restructuring of its
administration modeled on the liberal system of its neighbor, Hong Kong, to
check abuses of power.
No surprise that a city which prides itself on being the most open in mainland
China after being used as a hothouse for economic reform over the past three
decades should be in pole position for political reforms that could be enacted
elsewhere.
The municipality's recent policy decision to treat "abnormal petitioning
activities" with an iron fist therefore struck many as a hard blow to its
credentials for political and social liberalization. Xinhua, the state-run news
agency, even dispatched a sharply
worded criticism to head off suspicions that the policy heralded an about-turn
in the local authority's soft approach to grievances.
Shenzhen's court, public prosecutor, police and justice department early last
month issued a notice banning 14 types of petitioning, including the wearing of
clothes emblazoned with protest slogans, sit-ins or street demonstrations,
self-mutilation and suicide, and harassing government officials. Punishments
range from detention and re-education through labor to criminal prosecution.
The notice sits in sharp contrast to an April 14 central government order for
local officials to "warmly receive petitioners, patiently listen to their
appeals with compassion and responsibility, and make all efforts to help solve
their problems".
That authorities of Shenzhen would dare to launch a policy against
Beijing's stance on petioning is an example of "social anarchy at local level in
China" said Zheng Yongnian, a political scientist at the National University of
Singapore.
The
Xinhua commentary was a rare public condemnation of local government policy from
the center and sent a clear message that Shenzhen acted without the central
government's consent.
Xinhua's quick response, calling for "proper handling rather than interception"
of petitioners, was an apparent move to quell growing suspicion that Shenzhen's
hard line would be followed by Beijing. The signed commentary argued that,
despite the irrational nature of "abnormal petitions", the deeper root cause of
these petitions should not be ignored. That is, the grassroots don't have
normal channels for airing grievances due to abuses of power and corruption in
local government and reports point to many complaints unanswered for more than
a decade.
The suppression of protests will only lead to even more intensified social
conflicts, the commentary warned. Moreover, "abnormal petitioning activities"
are not mentioned in any Chinese law.
Given the response from Beijing, Shenzhen authorities may quietly withdraw the
policy, though in practice they are likely still to take a hard line on
petitioners.
The petitioning system allows citizens who feel mistreated by a local
government to file a complaint, either in person or in writing, all the way up
to the central government, and is one of the few ways citizens can vent their
spleen at a time of growing public discontent over rampant official corruption,
abuses of power, and the widening wealth gap.
Reports of collusion between officials and businesses and within local
governments themselves and have heightened tensions in China.
Local officials are generally not happy to see petitioning activities taking
place under their jurisdictions, which certainly hurt the image of "social
stability" and hence their political career. From this perspective, it is
understandable why Shenzhen would want to launch a crackdown on "abnormal
petitioning activities''. For the local officials, most petitioning activities
are "abnormal'' and should be banned.
The gag rule is especially alarming for Shenzhen: given the fact that two of
its former mayors have been sacked because of corruption, any move to ramp up
punishment against "abnormal petitioners" could be self-deceiving and
self-defeating.
Stephanie Wang is a freelance contributor based in Changsha, China.
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