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 | Nation vs people: 60 years of communist rule of in China Our Correspondent “Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind,” Albert Einstein famously said. If there is one country where, in this day and age, nationalism has erupted as measles, it is China. As at the Beijing Olympics last year, the entire might of the state concentrated on making the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) 60th anniversary in power as ‘the mother of all celebrations.’ The Chinese state, riding high on national pride, has practically banished the people from the celebrations. The denizens of Beijing are not allowed to watch the pomp and pageant; they can only watch it on television like the rest of the world. Not just that, they are not allowed even to stand on their own balconies to watch the parade pass by. They have been ordered to keep their pets indoors. The people who stay along the parade route are not allowed to host guests, nor can they keep their windows open; using binoculars or taking photographs, of course, is ruled out for reasons of security. China has shown by example what a monster the state can become if its power grows unabated and unchecked; it not only rides roughshod over the people, it also intrudes into their lives; it frowns even at the minor pleasures of people. So, the authorities decided to ban kite-flying, which is popular in Beijing, for the big day. The CCP’s fetish for the diamond jubilee celebrations may appear surreal, but this apparent surreality epitomizes an infinitely uglier reality—“socialism with Chinese characteristics.” This was the project that Deng Xiaoping embarked on when he took over the reins of party and state in 1979. The preceding 30 years of Maoist practice had proven to be an unmitigated disaster for China and its people. According to the latest estimates, 70 million people died during Mao’s rule, earning him the epithet ‘the greatest butcher in history.’ When Mao died in 1979, its economy was in ruins, de-industrialization was almost complete, a third of its population officially illiterate and, by the World Bank food-intake standard (2,185 kilocalories per day), the entire population in mainland was in absolute poverty, living on just 2,009 kilocalories per day. The per capita income was among the lowest in the world at $190. Under Deng, China rose, like phoenix, from its ashes, becoming an economic superpower in three decades. But whether it was Mao or Deng, the state remains absolutely powerful, with the individual merely being a means to achieve great national glory. It is the pulverization of the individual that is getting reflected in the 60th anniversary celebrations of CCP rule. The measles has grown in severity. Posted on : 10/12/2009 Mail this article to your friend |