Is It the Chinese Government That Is Persecuting Us?

By Zhao Yang

(Clearwisdom.net)

After reading the articles and flyers that fellow practitioners have published on some websites, I found that some fellow practitioners use the phrases "China: Stop Persecuting Falun Gong," "The Chinese government is persecuting Falun Gong..." "The Chinese government's persecution against Falun Gong..." and so on. I think it is inaccurate to say this. Although western media has kept saying this, that is just the understanding of everyday people in western society. As practitioners we need to discipline ourselves with high standards and be responsible to the Fa and sentient beings.

A government consists of many government officers and staff members. Can Jiang's personal will represent the will of all government officials and their staffs? Should all government employees be held responsible for Jiang Zemin's decisions? Clearly, the persecution of Falun Gong is Jiang's personal agenda. However, many government employees have opposed the persecution of Falun Gong all along. They were also threatened and implicated during this campaign of oppression. Even under such dire circumstances, some of them are still trying their best to protect Falun Gong practitioners. The Chinese people actually includes tens of millions of Falun Gong practitioners, their relatives and friends, as well as people that support and help us, plus those who have come to know the truth. Consequently, it is incorrect to equate Jiang with "the Chinese government" or "China." Our imprecise statements may deepen the misunderstandings of people who are already deceived by the lies. They may think that we are against some government or against China, which may delay their coming to know the truth. Of course, on some occasions, omitting certain words will not bring misunderstandings. That is another situation.

In China, the people's will cannot be expressed in a normal way. The government officials' opinions cannot be expressed in a normal way either. Jiang's regime started the persecution of this spiritual practice that is very beneficial to the nation and the people, while having no negative effects at all. With the military power at his command, Jiang has simply played political games for self-interest while ignoring the interests of the nation and its people. Thus, with the help of a few accomplices he initiated the persecution against Falun Dafa and practitioners. A good government allows its citizen to speak out and express their opinions, and every government officer truly fulfills his individual duty to serve the people. If this were the case, things such as the illegal persecution of Falun Gong would never have been allowed. (Note: In July 1999, the persecution of Falun Gong was claimed to be the decision of the Civil Affairs Ministry, which did not follow legal procedures. In China, the People's Congress is supposed to be the body that has the authority to make laws. However, under Jiang's rule, it's only a rubber stamp.)

Jiang has used all sorts of despicable means to control public opinion and suppress opposing attitudes and to create the illusion that everyone supports him. Thus, there arose the misunderstanding that his personal opinion was the government's will. We should not allow ourselves to be confused on this issue; otherwise we could unknowingly further this misunderstanding and enhance his power.

By saying that "the Chinese government is persecuting Falun Gong," it appears as if it were an action representing the government's will as a single entity. This is exactly what Jiang has attempted by all means to achieve. However, this is not true and we should not act according to this notion. Jiang is actually using wicked means by exploiting the government to beguile the people and do bad deeds to the country and its people. It is actually a lone, eternal criminal that leads the nation to disaster, although he portrays himself as the image of the government. As practitioners, when considering something, we need to find out the essence and the truth and tell it to people. Some people who have not been exposed to the truth are not clear on this and we should be clear and clarify it. Otherwise, we not only fail to eliminate the evil hidden there, but also may strengthen it with our energy when saying, "the Chinese government is persecuting..."

I think some fellow practitioners need to pay attention to this issue. It is a matter of truth. We cannot express something in whatever way we want. When writing articles, clarifying the truth, or doing related things, we need to be clear on this and cannot dismiss it. Right now, the Chinese government is controlled by Jiang's wicked regime. In an extremely distorted situation, the government does not embody the real essence and meaning of a government. As a result, we cannot say that China or the Chinese government is persecuting Falun Gong. Instead, we need to clarify that it is Jiang and his wicked political regime that is using the government and state apparatus to deceive the people and persecute Falun Gong, thus leading the nation to ruin.

The above is a personal understanding. Please point out anything improper.

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