If you read the demands of Liu Xiaobo’s Manifesto, you will know that he wants China to become a mirror image of the democracy that exists in the US, which even America’s Founding Fathers were against since the men who founded the US Republic in the late 18th century believed democracy led to mob rule and chaos, which is true.
If China were to implement the reforms Liu Xiaobo calls for in his Manifesto, most of the work China’s centeral government has accomplished in the last thirty years to improve literacy and the lifestyles of the Chinese would end and possibly be reversed.
What Liu Xiaobo did with his Manifesto is illegal in China and he had to know it. All schoolchildren in China are taught the meaning of China’s 1982 Constitution, which opened doors to more freedom than most Chinese had ever experienced before.
There are three articles in China’s 1982 Constitution, which explain why Liu Xiaobo went to prison.
However, most in the West have no clue.
From China’s 1982 Constitution:
Article 51 — The exercise by citizens of the People’s Republic of China of their freedoms and rights may not infringe upon the interests of the state, of society and of the collective, or upon the lawful freedoms and rights of other citizens.
Article 53 — Citizens of the People’s Republic of China must abide by the constitution and the law, keep state secrets, protect public property and observe labour discipline and public order and respect social ethics.
Article 54 — It is the duty of citizens of the People’s Republic of China to safeguard the security, honour and interests of the motherland; they must not commit acts detrimental to the security, honour and interests of the motherland.
Prior to December 2008, Liu Xiaobo gathered 350 signatures of Chinese intellectuals and human rights activist to promote his ideas of political reform and democratization in the PRC.
Liu Xiaobo’s manifesto was published on December 10, 2008. Since then, more than 10,000 people inside and outside China signed Liu Xiaobo’s manifesto.
I live in the US in California.
In California, we have a process to get an initiative on the ballot to change the laws in California.
However, in the U.S. currently, less than half the states permit the initiative process.
In California, Ballot.org says the number of qualified signatures needed is 433,971 for a statutory initiative and 694,354 for a constitutional amendment, which is what Liu Xiaobo and his supporters are calling for in China where there is no initiative process.
California has more than 37 million people. China has more than 1.3 billion.
In 1949, when the Communists won the Civil War, most of China lived lifestyles similar to Europe’s Dark Ages. However, since the early 1980s, the standard of living and the literacy level in China has continued to improve at an impressive rate for about three decades.
Why does Liu Xiaobo want to change something that still works? In Part 3, you will learn something about Liu Xiaobo and what he believes.
Return to Liu Xiaobo’s Manifesto, Charter 08 – Part 1 or go to Part 3
______________
Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of the concubine saga, My Splendid Concubine & Our Hart. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too.
If you want to subscribe to iLook China, there is a “Subscribe” button at the top of the screen in the menu bar.
iLook China 