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Peace Prize mockery of its ideals

By Mo Nong (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-14 08:09

Norwegian Nobel Committee has Cold War mentality and little understanding of China and its people today

Confucius once said that when something was called by the wrong name it was the result of a failure of understanding and an inability to perceive reality. This is exactly the case with the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awarded this year's Peace Prize to the criminal Liu Xiaobo.

To be true to its name, the Nobel Peace Prize should have been awarded to someone who has been making, or has made, outstanding contributions to world peace. However, the Norwegian Nobel Committee again awarded the prize to someone opposed to its original principles.

The prize was awarded to the Dalai Lama in 1989, who has engaged in activities to split the Tibet autonomous region from its motherland. Rather than contributing to the prosperity of Tibet, the Dalai Lama has brought nothing but bloodshed and unrest to Tibetan people. It is really hard to understand how the committee members could connect what the Dalai Lama has been doing with peace.

The same is true with Liu Xiaobo who has been attempting to overthrow the Chinese government and to disintegrate the nation into smaller states. It is not hard to imagine what would happen if what he proposes actually occurred. There would be chaos or civil war, which would devastate what this country and its people have achieved during the past three decades.

The committee members are too naive and too far away from the reality of the country, they should come to China and talk with ordinary Chinese people and ask them what they need and want. They would realize how little they know about China and the Chinese people.

Although some in the Norwegian Nobel Committee have admitted in their articles that China has made great progress in the past decades, they are unclear about what that progress is, what such achievements mean to Chinese people, and how Chinese people expect what they have already achieved will become a solid foundation for an even brighter future both economically and politically.

The members of the committee cling to the Cold War mentality. They have turned a blind eye to the world trend of development and peace. They have also turned a deaf ear to what China pledges about its peaceful development.

The change that this country has undergone is by no means restricted to its economic growth. The progress in social democracy is greater than anyone in this country could imagine three decades ago.

Could anyone at that time imagine that he or she would be able to bring a government department to court today? Could anyone then expect that he or she would be able to talk about whatever he or she wants to talk about? Could anyone anticipate that public opinion would be able to bring about a fundamental change in a State policy?

The members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee may ask: If that is the case, why was Liu Xiaobo jailed for what he said?

This is another misunderstanding. They need to know that Liu was sentenced to jail because he was inciting others to subvert State power and overthrow the socialist system, organizing and inducing others to support his aims. His activities became harmful to society and violated China's Criminal Law.

The committee members should ask themselves: Will any government allow someone to engage in such subversive activities? Should we declare that the Norwegian government should be overthrown simply because it has some problems? Of course not, every government has its own problems and no political system is free of defects.

True, China has its own problems. There is much to be desired when it comes to democracy and its political system. Yet, Western democracy has its problems too and so has its political systems.

Rome was not built in a day. China will continue its political reform. Yet, there is a prerequisite for this reform: It should never cause political chaos and it should never interrupt the process of economic growth.

In this country, villagers directly elect their village heads. But problems, such as election rigging, organized criminal gangs behind the voting etc, have to be seriously dealt with before these elections can really represent the interests of the majority of villagers. It may take several decades for even direct elections at the country's lowest grassroots level to work properly.

However, the way proposed by Liu Xiaobo would throw this country into chaos, which would not only interrupt its economic growth and social development, it would sap the country's will and desire for further development and may even cause it to collapse. That is the last thing Chinese people want.

That explains why what he has done poses a real threat to this country and the well-being of its people. By awarding Liu the Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has not just tarnished its own reputation and demonstrated its hypocrisy, but also infringed upon the sovereignty of China and showed disrespect to its people.

The author is a senior writer for China Daily.