Protect the disadvantaged at any cost
A country cannot rise if its people do not. Just like Adam Smith said, if a large part of a country's population is in the plight of poverty, the country can hardly be powerful and prosperous.
Referring to China, he said the reason the country (in the 18th century) had remained stagnant for a long time was not only lack of free trade, but also that the privileged classes got too much protection while ordinary people were extremely vulnerable. Such a nation can hardly have a bright future.
To become a veritable great power, China should first focus on its people, which means the government should first protect the values and the basic economic interests of its citizens.
One of the most important problems facing Chinese society today is its lack of political development compared to its rapid economic progress. If the government cannot fully protect the rights of the common people, the disadvantaged groups will be subjected to oppression of the advantaged.
But such things happen everywhere in our society. Ordinary people cannot get reasonable compensation for their houses that are to be demolished. Children are discriminated against in education. Rural workers always fail to get the pay they deserve. Many workers lack necessary healthcare security; there is a dearth of strong labor unions that can bargain with the employers to guarantee their rights.
China has the largest foreign exchange reserves in the world, but a huge number of its workers can earn only 1,000 yuan (less than $150) a month. We cannot attribute workers' low salaries only to market competition. The main reason for that is political order cannot maintain economic order well, because power can easily distort economic rules.
Take Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages as an example. The lords who brutally exploited the serfs also realized the importance of market economy and participated actively in agricultural product markets.
Market economy worked because it successfully reduced the living cost in developed regions by conveying low-priced crops there.
The problem is that low-priced comparative advantages that stem from this strategy cannot last long. No wonder, Eastern Europe has lagged behind Western Europe for centuries. China should not move forward on this road if it wants to become a truly great power.
It is unwise for local governments to always side with the privileged people. This kind of behavior not only ignores people's interest, but also prevents the people from rising, without which the country cannot rise.
In China, major local officials are appointed by the central government directly. Therefore, the central government always feels that it is responsible for safeguarding the authority of local officials.
But this act actually undermines the legitimacy of its governance. Local officials who harm the interest of the central government for their own interests don't deserve any official protection at all.
If China has legal organizations that can uphold justice for the common people, or if it establishes a sound jury system to ensure public influence on judicial decisions, the prestige of the State will improve greatly.
On the contrary, government authority is severely damaged when the central government ignores local governments' abuse of power.
A nationwide judicial system, which is independent of local authorities and strictly supervised by the public and media, is essential for the protection of common people's interests. It will also be the foundation for the rise of the people.
In order to rise, people need a sound social security system, too, which involves medical insurance, pension schemes and other welfare benefits. Spending more on education would also help the people rise.
The author is a Chinese visiting scholar in the US.
(China Daily 12/11/2009 page9)
