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Why ban slogans and banners?
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-20 07:56
The Zhuhai municipal government recently banned banners carrying political or commercial slogans. It raised many eyebrows because the local government didn't impose the ban on itself. The government move shows that misuse of administrative power is threatening people's liberty, says an article in the Beijing News. Excerpts:
Zhuhai in Guangdong province is likely to become the only Chinese city where you won't find banners or commercial advertisements on the streets because the local government will stop approving new applications from next week. Banners that are already hanging in public places have to be pulled down by Dec 10.
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But we have difficulty in understanding why have commercial advertisements been abolished? As one of the major advertising forms, posters embody various commercial symbols that are necessary for business. Since we have already become a commercial society, where is the logic to part with its banners and posters?
Strange still, the local government's propaganda hasn't been banned. Which means residents of and visitors to Zhuhai have to derive visual satisfaction only from administrative decrees and posters.
Some people allege that the Zhuhai local government has overstepped its authority. It has not only replaced others' slogans and mottos with its own words, but also deprived people of their civil rights on the pretext of cleaning the environment.
Political and commercial symbols both have been eliminated from the city. The only thing left is the privileges officials enjoy, showing misuse of administrative power has gone too far. Administrative power has been alienated both from people's livelihood and government policies.
If unchecked, such misuse of power can pose a greater threat to people's liberty
(China Daily 11/20/2009 page9)
