Editorials

Op-Ed Contributors

Chinese Press

Columnists

LETTERS

Another mass incident?

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-29 07:53

Another "mass incident" broke out. This time in the northeastern province of Jilin, at the Tonghua Iron & Steel Group.

The official account, predictably enough, attributes the tragic outcome to a few rumormongers taking advantage of the many being ignorant of the truth.

Why? Why were the workers so furious? Why were they so brutal to their new general manager, who died after being beaten up? An official account of the incident, released by the Xinhua website three days after the tragedy, does not answer that. Instead, unlike initial reports from other sources, the official version is too general and devoid of details. So we, too, are in the dark as to the truth of the incident.

Judging by the official account, the takeover of Tonghua Iron & Steel by the Jianlong Group, a Hebei-based private enterprise, is a typical win-win arrangement. Besides helping Tonghua Iron & Steel to get rid of its current financial woes and facilitating its future growth, the merger is said to be conducive to the interests of employees.

In that case, we do not see any reason for the workers and retirees of Tonghua Iron & Steel to be provoked. Why should they explode in fury as they did?

Because, we are told, they do not know the truth. That is a pity. The local government, according to reports, had repeatedly deliberated the merger before concluding it was a good deal. If so, why should such good news be kept from the workers? It is difficult to understand why they let misgivings and ill feeling accumulate to explosion point, when they could have shared the joy of achievement with the workers.

That the protest resulted in a death is most regrettable. And the assailants must be brought to account. To blame it on ignorance would be unjust and irresponsible.

If, as portrayed in official accounts, every mass protest involves the presence of people who are unaware of the truth, that is a dangerous sign, which requires everyone to be alert. First, they were not alert enough. Second, but more important, why were the people affected unaware of the facts of the situation?

Under existing laws and regulations, our citizens are entitled to government information barring "State secrets." Governments have a legal obligation to keep society informed.

From a practical viewpoint, if sharing the truth can prevent mass discontentment, why not do it?

The truth may not always pacify the public, but, at least, it can immunize people to rumors. If official accounts of previous "mass incidents" are credible, rumors have played a damaging role in every incident. In the event, the only effective antidote is the truth, and it should not be withheld until it is too late.

It is difficult to concede as timely a press conference on the Tonghua case being called three days later.

(China Daily 07/29/2009 page8)