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More food for thought

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-21 07:57

With Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Yizhong promising to never compulsorily install the controversial filtering software on personal computers, the issue of "Green Dam-Youth Escort" is fading out from the limelight.

Yet as behind-the-scenes specifics emerge, the near-surreal episode proves itself a precious source of lessons for all, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) included of course.

Weeks back, when news came that the MIIT would impose "Green Dam" on all computers to be sold in China from July 1, we were perplexed.

We had wondered aloud how the MIIT could have come up with such a muddle-headed idea. We had wondered how such an ill-advised decision could have sailed all the way through the MIIT's policy-making process

Until we were told that Mr Li himself was misled into signing the document that threw his ministry into a storm of public protests.

This sounds like a joke. But it is not, provided that the latest report is not declared false some other day.

Indeed, the highly disputable MIIT announcement would not have been published and resulted in such a public relations disaster for the ministry, had it not got the nod from Mr Li. Yet it is not fair to blame it all on him. A little more than one year ago, he was heading the national production safety watchdog. In spite of his relative novelty in the IT area, he at least raised a question about appropriateness. Which was crucial. For, had that inquiry been taken seriously, the outcome might have been quite different. The MIIT found itself under fire exactly because the decision was inappropriate.

But somehow Mr Li was told, by his ministry's Software Service Department, that it was a common international practice. Which was untrue. We know the magic power of "international conventions" in this country, which is anxious to follow "international standards." We have heard of foreign governments supplying free filtering software for parents or schools. But, there was no such thing as forcing them on personal computers.

It makes no difference to us whether Mr Li's colleagues intentionally provided him that misinformation. Mr Li was reportedly "torn by rage" on finding that he was misinformed. It is his business to find out why.

We are just curious why such a major decision - which would affect more than 300 million Internet users in the country - was so carelessly finalized and almost put into practice.

We have difficulty understanding why none in the MIIT had bothered to consult those who would be affected, and give some thought to its consequences.

Besides, even if the Software Service Department people were unaware, those with the MIIT's Department of Policies and Statutes should know a thing or two about the inappropriateness of such a policy. What were they doing?

(China Daily 08/21/2009 page8)