There are many advantages and disadvantages of being in a democracy. The advantage is that many a times you get to listen to and follow a leader who is actually concerned with the development of the country and other times we have to listen to leaders who do nothing except divide the country or raise trivial topics which have no place in the life of an individual while at times these very same political parties and people come out with policies and opinions that encroach on the people’s rights. Here is my new post on this year’s Noble Peace Prize winner- Liu Xiaobo.
Born in 1955, the young professor, writer and human rights activist Liu Xiaobo, joined the protesters against the totalitarian brutal regime during the Tiananmen Square Protest in 1989 and became very vocal in favour of establishment of democracy in lieu of the dictatorial monopolistic communist rules like many other like minded youngsters and intellectuals. Though China has changed to some extent under the pressure of time, with the fall of communism almost everywhere, the dictators are very reluctant to give way. Liu Xiaobo’s career was crippled since then. He has been under surveillance, subject to different types of tortures throughout the period and now undergoing eleven year prison term though he has grown more liberal wishing a gradual change of the system of the Government.
This year , he has been chosen to receive the Nobel Peace Prize “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China” but he has been behind the bar and none of his relatives and friends (his wife is under house-arrest and friends have either been arrested or prevented from proceeding to the site of the prize giving ceremony) were present in the Oslo City Hall to witness the conferring of the award to him as per arrangements made by the Chinese Government.
Though there may sometimes remain disagreement about the decision to bestow Nobel Prize to certain individuals for the world is, as it is, always partial, that does not stop the recipients to receive the prize for it is the decision of a body which may or may not be to one’s or the other’s liking. But the Chinese Government has made virulent publicity against the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, pressurising the Governments to refuse the invitation to attend the function, even under coercion and threat of retaliation, directly or indirectly.
This is certainly a suppression of Human Rights.
We understand that this type of opposition to such award was once enacted by Hitler. In an article titled, “Servant of the State” by Jianying Zha in The New Yorker in its November 8, 2010 issue I read, “A leading contemporary Chinese novelist, widely admired for his laconic style, once told me, ‘Mao is China’s Hitler.’” It is no wonder that Hitlerism still continues there, will continue till it bends to democratic pressure of the public giving birth to a new China.
But as people have always said and will keep on saying there is always a ray of light at the end of the tunnel and in this case also this principle holds true. The ray of light is education. With more and more people becoming educated and aware about their fundamental rights and not only rights but even their fundamental duties. So all I can say is that with more and more youngsters raising their voices. I certainly regret and oppose the move to prevent Liu Xiaobo and his people to be present there to receive the prize.
