Recently, the Chinese [party name omitted] Party initiated a so-called "mass signature collecting against XX." It is another "great pioneering work" of Jiang Zemin and it is definitely qualified to be included in the "Collection of Scandals in Human History."
Why is it a "historical pioneering work"? It is because Jiang Zemin's signature collecting is essentially different from all others in the history of the world. As we know, signature collecting is a peaceful, rational and nonviolent process. It is started by the people to support a request of the people and arouse the people to exert pressure or influence on a government or other organization. Its goal is either to urge the organization to take an action or to force it to change an existing policy.
There are many examples of signature drives. In China, we saw the Scholars' Petition before the Reform in the Year of Wu Xu (near the end of the Qing Dynasty). We witnessed signature collecting during the 1989 democratic movement to appeal to the government to release political prisoners and initiate communication. After the June 4th Tiananmen Square massacre many signatures were collected in an effort to restore the reputation of the students murdered there and to implement political reform. There are also examples in other countries. In 1905, the Russian academy presented a petition signed by more than 1000 scholars after the "bloody Sunday" episode, requesting an open election and reform of both the Constitution and the political structure. There is also the famous "Constitution signatures drive" on July 7 in Czech-Slovakia. All of these movements had the intention of exerting pressure on the government.
It's true that during the Great Cultural Revolution (from 1966 to 1976 by translator) we saw other kinds of signature collecting movements that didn't intend to exert pressure on the government. Some examples are the signature collecting started by some middle school students requesting the College Entrance Exams to be abolished and the signature collecting by the Red Guards (a notorious student organization in the Great Cultural Revolutionby translator) to change the name of Tiananmen Square to Red East Square. But even those movements were to influence the government to adopt suggestions or to take certain actions. Now we know clearly that those "mass drives" were actually the result of the [party name omitted] Party "brainwashing" the masses In Mao Zedong's words, it was called "developing the masses' creativity."
However, Jiang Zemin's signature drive is quite peculiar. It was launched 19 months after his brutal crackdown on Falun Gong began. It couldn't even be qualified as a brainwashing effort by the party or even as "developing the masses creativity." There has never been a mass signature drive like this!
It is not a "response to the call" because that would mean the masses would "respond with full support" for whatever the "great leader" called for during Mao's era. People would paint slogans (on the walls) and attend large-scale group meetings actively. Some people would also make signs or posters with statements of determination. However, it was not called a "signature drive" at that time. It might have a more accurate name of "demonstration of the loyal hearts." Today's signature drive directed by Jiang Zemin has nothing to do with real signature collecting. It might be called a "present the loyal hearts," but it even falls far short of that since the critical point of "a present of loyal hearts" from the Cultural Revolution is the regard for speed -- act without delay upon hearing the news since a slow action wouldn't show loyalty. The quicker, the better. Jiang Zemin's signature drive was delayed for over 19 months!
From the above observations, we can see that the "anti-XX signature collecting" directed by Jiang Zemin is an unprecedented farce and a huge scandal. Why is it that the anti-Falun Gong decision needs a mass signature drive while other decisions don't require any drive at all. The Government makes a lot of important decisions everyday without a single signature drive. It is because Jiang Zemin knows full well that the crackdown on Falun Gong that he launched and promoted is totally unacceptable to the masses. That's why he needs to fabricate "the people's will" to build up a little courage for himself.
This farce acted and directed by Jiang Zemin has three goals. First, these fabricated opinions will be used to suppress other opinions from the Party, the Government and society. However, we must note that the fact that Jiang Zemin must attempt this farce shows how great the force is opposing him. Second, the fabricated public opinion will be used to thwart off the righteous condemnation of the international community. This also proves that Jiang Zemin knows that justice is not on his side, that he is outwardly strong but inwardly very, very weak. Third and finally, and this is the most vicious goal, the signature collecting will get as many people as possible to be Jiang Zemin's accomplices. If people are forced to ignore their conscience they will want to justify their actions later. This is a notorious scheme known by all criminal groups through worldwide history. The autocracy itself has resulted in a moral deterioration and the so-called "anti-XX mass signature collecting" is a signal that Jiang Zemin's authority has gone completely rotten.
I am sure that we would be able to collect millions upon millions of signatures in Mainland China if we were able to ask for freedom of belief or freedom from the vicious persecution that every Falun Gong practitioner faces. If people could express their opinions freely in China today, practically all of the people who signed Jiang Zemin's petition would change their minds and support Falun Gong. Because Jiang Zemin autocratic authority is built on the suppression of free speech, it is indeed built on sand. Who won't agree with this?
Reprinted from The Epoch Times
March 8, 2001
