In a gesture inspired by the dissident artist Ai Weiwei, six activists in Guiyang City of the southern Chinese province of Guizhou delivered an elegant rattan vase to the headquarters of what are officially referred to as the “eight participating parties” in China on Oct. 8. Attached to the vase was a statement telling these parties their time on history’s stage was over.
Chen Xi, one of the participants, told Voice of America: “In China, people generally believe these eight democratic parties serve as a vase to the Communist Party.” The eight participating parties are democratic parties in name only that follow the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). They have no independent function and in effect only serve to show off the CCP, or to act as its “vase.”
Chen indicated their action was inspired by artists such as Ai Weiwei. Ai’s art has often used objects of everyday life to make a political point. For instance, after the Chinese regime’s refusal to name the children killed in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Ai included thousands of children’s backpacks in an art exhibit.
Another participant, Wu Yuchin, said, “If we do not poke them a little, they would not know how to serve practically for the public. They are now indeed the vase, for the purpose of decoration.”
The six activists arrived after 2 pm at the building of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. No one was in the offices and the doors were locked.
Attached to the vase they left behind was a statement entitled, “Urging the So-Called Democratic Parties With the CCP to Withdraw From the Political Stage.” The statement read:
“Since October 1949 when the CCP seized the fruits of the Xinhai Revolution with its violent revolution, the eight political parties have been formed under the CCP’s despotic power. On the surface these are eight legal political parties. In fact, they have never exerted themselves! Instead, they have cooperated with the CCP to brainwash the Chinese people, served the CCP as evildoers, and become the eight vase parties that aid the dictatorial Communist regime.
“The universal values of freedom and democracy have awakened in the Chinese people in this century. The failures of the reform and opening-up [economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaopeng in 1978] have led China to a dead end. The more the economy has developed, the larger the wealth disparity between the haves and the have-nots, pushing the Chinese people to dire straits.
“The collusion between government and business, officials in cahoots with the organized gangs, the brutal expropriation of people’s lands, the forcible demolition of civilians’ houses, and the unjust implementation of the judiciary have culminated in countless grievances. In the light of the law and their legal rights, people have reasonably called for justice. Communist China has not only kept the appeals unanswered but even rode roughshod over them mercilessly.
“As the so-called eight big political parties, you have neither the ability of independent thinking nor the least effect of supervising the ruling party. Disregarding national interests and betraying your conscience, you ingratiate yourself with the ruling party.
“When the people suffer social injustice, what have you done for them? In the annual political consultative conference, are your recommendations beneficial to people? What substantial suggestions made by you have been implemented?
“You not only idle away your time every day but even spend taxpayers’ money. You coordinate with communist China to fabricate and tamper with the history of China. You don’t play your supervisory role; on the contrary, you act as a collaborator and help the communists to oppress people cruelly.
“In the environment of a multi-party society, the Chinese people have realized that you are no longer needed to serve as a foil to the show orchestrated by communist China.
“In commemoration of the centennial anniversary of the [Xinhai] revolution, we, the China Democracy Party at Guizhou headquarters, declare: your historic usefulness has been finished. We advise you to leave the political arena, the sooner the better. The China Democracy Party (China’s current opposition party) will unflinchingly raise high the banner of freedom and democracy; let the people’s votes elect a ruling party trusted by all the people.”
Co-signed by:
Members of China Democracy Party at Guizhou
Members of Guizhou Human Rights Conference
Oct. 8, 2011
Read the original Chinese article.
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