Tuesday, March 9, 2010

CHINA: POWER WITH A BARREL OF GUN

"Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun"- Mao Tsetung

Early this year, 5th Tibet Work forum was concluded in Beijing with the aim of controlling Tibet rigorously by supressing people's freedom in the name of stability. In doing so, injecting economic developments to the Tibetan areas are considered a panacea to integrate Tibet into Middle Kingdom without giving any considerations to the aspirations of Tibetan people.

Hu Jintao, the premier of People's Republic of China (PRC) who was once a party secretary of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), is carrying a huge banner of Harmonious society since he became the supreme leader of PRC. It is by now considered as the great legacy of Hu Jintao of advancing China's soft power into the global politics. However, his policy on Tibet became rhetoric with an implementation of annihilating the Tibetan identity and races. Two decades ago, he took a similar steps of crushing the Tibetans by launching Martial Law in Tibet when the Tibetan protested in Lhasa. The recent strike hard policy on Tibet with the detention of more than 400 Tibetans in Lhasa, capital of Tibet, prior to Tibetan National Uprising Day anniversary is an indication that China's attitude towards Tibet is worsening.

Economic Development: Not a solution
Since the time of Mao Tsetung, China claims to spent millions of Yuan for the development of Tibet. After the economic liberalization of PRC in 1979, during Deng Xiaoping's era, China pumped millions of yuans in Tibet based on the decisions made upon the consecutive Tibet Work Forums. But Hu Yoabang, General Secretary of CCP, during his maiden visit to Tibet in 1980's proclaimed that the Central government's money allocated in Tibet were literally thrown into Lhasa Kyichu. That clearly indicates the party cadres in Tibet were corrupted and had not utilize the money efficiently. Late Panchen Lama also criticized the Central government of digging Tibet's resource more than what they sanctioned for Tibet. To the outside world, China projected Tibet as a tourist destination and tourism is considered a pillar of development inside Tibet. But the projects which the Chinese government carried out in Tibet were of heavy projects which insufficiently helped Tibetans to sustain their livelihood, Many of projects are heavy projects such like railway, roadways, hydral power, airports and industries have minimal role to play in protecting Tibet's unique culture and heritage. Rather, it is purposefully aimed to control Tibet into their iron grip thus by encouraging heavy influx of Chinese migrants into Tibet.

From Mao to Hu Jintao, the economic transformation and integration is regarded as the forefront policies to integrate Tibet. But, material development alone can not solve the problems. It is interesting to see that whenever the Chinese leaders talk about their policy in Tibet, first thing they utter is stability, then the economic development comes later. Economic development without a considerable freedom certainly will not be effective. Over the years, history proves that Tibetans are not happy with the government's economic policy which is focus not on uplifting the status of Tibetans but rather focused on mitigating the Tibetan identity and culture. Masterminding Han superiority is the ultimate agenda of the CCP inside Tibet.

Stability: Importance of People's engagement
China feels that Tibetan will bend its knee to the social contract scheme of introducing economic prosperity by forsaking culture. But, assuming such thing makes a blunder as Tibetan cultures are deeply rooted in the hearts and minds of all Tibetans. How can a sixty years old corrupted policy tends to change thousand years old rich cultures. Is stability an ultimate goal of Mighty China, It is simply not, but it is the ultimate goal of Chinese Communist party (CCP) who is ruling China for the past six decades. Fear of unstability inside China is the biggest worry of Chinese leaders who felt the coming collapse of CCP. So by any means, CCP tries to maintain stablity by introducing various means which largely include voilent means and approaches. Such is the case that China is ruled by the leaders and not by the laws. Stabilty is primarily an initiative of people who engaged with the social contracts. But such stability shouldn't be forced upon public without any desirable engagment from the public. For example, Fulong Gong practioners were mercilessly tortured, Christian churches are going undergrounds and Tibetan buddhism is on the verge of complete distruction in the name of stability. It is not China but CCP who fears of instability. Therefore, without peoples engagment, stability can not enforce and sustain. If CCP succeeded to supress the people by the virtue of having a power with the barrel of gun, it will not sustain for the long run. Sooner or later, CCP will collapse if continues to envisage their dream of stability without people's role.

In Tibet also, the promotion of stability thus need to attach with the promotion of Tibetan cultures and identity. Any such policies of exterminating Tibetan cutures will not help stabilize Tibet. China's current policy on Tibet is certainly a nemesis in retaining their soverienty over Tibet.

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