Politics and Security Field
Research:Seminars/Workshops
The Illusion of Intra-Party Democracy:
From the Perspective of Electoral Reforms of the CCP National Congress/Wu Guoguang
2009.01.19
Title
The Illusion of Intra-Party Democracy:
From the Perspective of Electoral Reforms of the CCP National Congress
Presenter
Wu Guoguang(Professor, Victoria University, Canada）
Commentator
Satoshi Amako (Professor,GSAPS)
Date / Time
January 19 (Monday)
15:00-17:00
Place
B1F, Bldg.No.26(Ookuma Tower), Waseda University
Open to the Public
no prior registration required
conducted in Chinese,English (No interpretation)
Organizer
Waseda University Global COE Program-Global Institute for Asian Regional Integration(GIARI)
Program for Promoting Advancement of Academic Research at Private Uiversities of MEXT
The Illusion of Intra-Party Democracy:
From the Perspective of Electoral Reforms of the CCP National Congress
Presenter
Wu Guoguang(Professor, Victoria University, Canada）
Commentator
Satoshi Amako (Professor,GSAPS)
Date / Time
January 19 (Monday)
15:00-17:00
Place
B1F, Bldg.No.26(Ookuma Tower), Waseda University
Open to the Public
no prior registration required
conducted in Chinese,English (No interpretation)
Organizer
Waseda University Global COE Program-Global Institute for Asian Regional Integration(GIARI)
Program for Promoting Advancement of Academic Research at Private Uiversities of MEXT
Topic: The Illusion of Intra-Party Democracy: From the Perspective of Electoral Reforms of the CCP National Congress
Speaker: Wu Guoguang (呉国光), Professor, Victoria University, Canada
Time: January 19 (Monday)､15:00-17:00
Venue: B1F, Bldg.No.26(Okuma Tower), Waseda University
Participant: Prof. Amako Satoshi, Prof.Ueki Kawakatsu Chikako etc.
Summary
Three aspects were mainly discussed in the 2-hour seminar on Electoral Reforms of the CCP National Congress by Prof Wu Guoguang: First, it investigates how elections were conducted at the Party Congresses, with the focus on recent years` reforms or changes of rules and procedures that govern the elections. Second, it assesses the significance of intra-party democracy for China's democratization. Third, it discusses the contending theories on and models of internal democracy of the political party, including the Japanese model of intra-party factionalism.
After a detailed introduction of changing rules of CCP National Congress election, three tentative conclusions were outlined during the seminar: 1) The democratic level of elections inside the Party is lower than election of local people's representatives. 2) Intra-Party democracy at the national level, if there is any, is behind that in grassroots, but local levels such provincial is also backward. 3) It is questionable that democratization in China can be initiated from intra-Party democracy to citizens` democracy.
After a detailed introduction of changing rules of CCP National Congress election, three tentative conclusions were outlined during the seminar: 1) The democratic level of elections inside the Party is lower than election of local people's representatives. 2) Intra-Party democracy at the national level, if there is any, is behind that in grassroots, but local levels such provincial is also backward. 3) It is questionable that democratization in China can be initiated from intra-Party democracy to citizens` democracy.
Q&A Session
Q1: I recognize the limitation of current electioral institution in China, but on the other hand I don't see democratic institutions in the West offer prefect examples. The candidate in the United States, for example, cannot be elected without raising huge amount of money for election campaign. It seems that Western democratic system is only the game for rich people. How do you think this point?
Answer: There is no prefect institution and we should not expect to solve every problems in one night. The key of democratization is to solve the problem of legitimacy of governance, not the goodness of politics. The power of government should be derived from the people. Then People have choice to decide who can govern them, rather than how to govern. There is a check-balance mechanism in the democratic institution in which national leader can be replaced through peaceful election. We should clearly the aim of a democratic institution, it cannot reach the best, but it prevents the worst.
Q 2: How would you evaluate democratization in Taiwan and Hong Kong?
Answer: The democratic experience in Taiwan demonstrated that the Chinese society is not an exception for democracy. What happened in Hong Kong also offers an example. Although we also found many dirty things in the process of democratization in Taiwan, it leads public reflection on the process of democracy, which is a valuable part of democratization. The recent investigation of the scandal of former ROC president Chen Shui-bian reveals that exactly due to the existence of check balance function in the democratic institution, even a former national leader can be bring to justice.
Answer: There is no prefect institution and we should not expect to solve every problems in one night. The key of democratization is to solve the problem of legitimacy of governance, not the goodness of politics. The power of government should be derived from the people. Then People have choice to decide who can govern them, rather than how to govern. There is a check-balance mechanism in the democratic institution in which national leader can be replaced through peaceful election. We should clearly the aim of a democratic institution, it cannot reach the best, but it prevents the worst.
Q 2: How would you evaluate democratization in Taiwan and Hong Kong?
Answer: The democratic experience in Taiwan demonstrated that the Chinese society is not an exception for democracy. What happened in Hong Kong also offers an example. Although we also found many dirty things in the process of democratization in Taiwan, it leads public reflection on the process of democracy, which is a valuable part of democratization. The recent investigation of the scandal of former ROC president Chen Shui-bian reveals that exactly due to the existence of check balance function in the democratic institution, even a former national leader can be bring to justice.