From: yma@neumann.uwaterloo.ca (William Yan Ma)
Subject: Re: Re: CMFN
Keywords: China
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 01:12:23 GMT

>>Democracy is nothing if you live in deep poverty. For China, the most
>>important thing is encouraging the government, the people to concerntrate
>>on economy development. Indeed, the economy development has become the
>>primary task of CCP. Don't you think it's a real revolution in China?
>>It is more important than the abstract human rights problems. Actually,
>>the right of living better is one aspect of human rights problem. And it
>>is realistic.

>Human rights is not an abstract problem if you or someone you know is in
>prison or has just been executed for a political "crime".

>[section deleted]

>Mark

How much you know that CMFN will push the Chinese government to release
the political prisoners? Being a Chinese, I think they will not give up
at this point. Actually, they could release Sheng Tong, they could release
Wei Jingsheng, Wang Juntao, Chen Ziming, Zhang Yafei, etc. They might release
them if CMFN was going to pass. But you know, once it passed incidently,
I don't think the Chinese government will give up any more. That will
be really a bad result which is not expected by us.

We should bet on this.

How can we bet on this? Actually, even if they release all of them,
how much changes in China? Actually, the human rights problem is
much more than the political prisoners. For those ordinary people,
they can not change their jobs freely; for those couples separated from
each other because they work in defferent cities, they can not
move together; they can not open their business freely; they can not
get their passports freely; they have no right to get news freely;
they have no way to charge an official; the university students
can not apply for a job by themselves; etc. This country has many 
problems. For those living in the other countries, they don't
understand even don't know the really situation in China. 
Who care about the ordinary people? 

What we need is not only the release of some political prisoners.
We need reform the whole country fundamentally. But how can this
changes come to the reality? Do you have any other way besides
developing our economy?

Yes, the real changes will come from the economy development. When
economy speaks more about the policy of the country, the changes
will come internally. That's the trend of history. And that will
be real progress for the country.

We have no time to waste. If the CMFN comes out, it will definitely
do harm on our economy development. It will do harm on our historical
progress that we have made. Actually, no one can prevent this
country from changing. But they do have the ability to delay it, 
just as our government has done in the recent years. They have
delayed the political and economy changes. But you know, China
has gone back to its right way now. It's changing.
We should not suffered the delaying any more.

But the extension of MFN unconditionally doesn't mean nothing can
be done. The White House can also affect much on the human rights
record in China. They can talk with the government directly, just
as they did on the Sheng Tong's case. I know that they also have
done many useful things on the other cases. Yes, under the current
situation, that is the right way. And the results are as we expected.

Here I want to say again, I appreciate Ms. Dai Qing very much. She
was released from jail, you know. I don't think those who are in
jail now like CMFN. What they fight for? A better China. Not a China
better for themselves, a better China for all Chinese.

If White House do care about the progress in China, they should
let more Chinese goods go into American markets. Then China can
not backward any more. Yes, we should let market do itself. But
you should not shut up your door.

William Ma
Newsgroups: talk.politics.china