Wei
Jingsheng Foundation News and Article Release Issue: A834-W532
魏京生基金会新闻与文章发布号：A834-W532
Release
Date: August 10, 2014
发布日：2014年8月10日
Topic:
Abolishing Agricultural Household Registration, Another "Clever" Move
by Xi Jinping? (Voice of America)
标题：取消农业户口、习近平再现"高招"？（美国之音燕青报道）
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Language Version: Chinese (Chinese version at the end)
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Abolishing
Agricultural Household Registration, Another "Clever" Move by Xi
Jinping?
--
by Yan Qing, Voice of America
Last
Updated 03.08.2014 19:41
WASHINGTON
- Recently, the Chinese government announced that it would completely reform
the household registration system that has been implemented for half a century
that separates urban and rural populations. The reform will abolish the residential registrations of
"agricultural" and "non-agricultural", and will replace
them with a unified registration.
The
news caused concern among some public opinions within China and overseas. Some commentators expressed the concern
that this initiative will bring to the city "slums" and other phenomena. However, the views of the majority of
people tend to think that it is a "good policy" because they feel
that the implementation of many years of a household residential registration
system that separates urban and rural population was not fair to start
with. It has been even more
problematic in recent years as peasants came to the cities to work and to live,
resulting in the increasing emergence of various conflicts and problems.
*
Equality to Everyone *
Democratic
advocator Wei Jingsheng has been caring about Chinese social processes for a
long time and proposed that the Chinese needed a democratic system "the
Fifth Modernization" as early as 1970's. When he was interviewed in Washington by Voice of America,
he said that to abolish the divide between rural and urban population would be
helpful to the formation of a free and equal society. "Already almost half of the populations in Chinese
cities are rural migrant workers.
They are not treated as human beings in the cities. This is a very bad situation. In fact, equality would be good for
everyone, not just good for these rural populations."
*
'Rural Household Registration' and 'Family Planning' Policy in China *
Speaking
of why there is such a policy that separates rural household registration and
urban household registration, Wei Jingsheng said it comes from the same roots
as another policy that was produced and implemented by the Chinese Communist
regime that for a long time has been raising eyebrows in the world. "The reason is the same as the
family planning policy. That is
because the Communist regime did not do well with the economy and was unable to
solve the problem of unemployment.
So it forced the peasants to stay in the countryside by the excuse of
"rural household registration" to make sure that they could not get
into cities. The family planning
is the same. When the Communist
regime did not do well economically, it blamed the people for having too many
kids."
When
asked if the introduction of this new policy of the Chinese government marks
some kind of social "progress," Wei Jingsheng said it is more a
correction of wrongdoings than a "progress." Besides, the rural population is moving
to the cities anyway.
*
Let the Chinese Society Go Back to Normal *
Wei
Jingsheng, who always believed that there a lot of elements of freedom and
equality within the Chinese traditional culture, said: "The social system
in China for more than two thousand years always had equality between the rural
and urban populations, to the degree that there were times that the peasants
had the qualification to take exams to be officials while businessmen did
not! Thus, for Chinese society,
this new policy is only to return China to its normal situation."
Wei
Jingsheng said although abolishing the rural household registration, so the
rural and urban populations are on an equal footing, is not a "historic
progress", it will be conducive to the stability and development of
Chinese society because this it meets the basic concept of humans being
"created equal."
*
Property Rights, Land, Education, and Health Care *
When
the official media in China including the China News Agency and Xinhua News
Agency reported the news of the reform of the household registration system on
July 30, they were citing "the views regarding further promotion of the
reform of the household registration system" given by the Chinese State
Council on July 24. In particular,
"peasant workers", which is generally considered a phrase of
discriminatory in nature, was not used in the document. Instead, it was replaced with the expression
"the migrant agricultural population." Meanwhile, the document also mentions the concept of
"the principle of equal rights and responsibilities" and "civic
duty" and so on. In the section
on "effectively protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the
migrant agricultural population and others", it particularly mentioned
"to perfect the rural property rights system":
"At
this stage, one cannot force a peasant to withdraw from a contract of using the
land, the right to build a house on the land, and the right to the distribution
of collective income as conditions for them to settle in the cities." In addition, to "protect the equal
education rights of the children of the migrant agriculture population and
other residents, the policy shall include the compulsory education of the
children of the migrated population as part of the educational development
planning and fiscal guarantee of all levels of government", and "the
integration of the basic medical insurance system for both the urban and rural
residents."
*
Roadmap of a Mass Movement *
Speaking
to the VOA during his interview, Wei Jingsheng said that the Chinese government
under the leadership of Xi Jinping launching this initiative at this time has a
direct relationship with the current vigorously carried out anti-corruption
"in depth". In Wei's
view, "Xi Jinping's move is relatively good, that he may be beginning to
rely on the people. It is a good
thing to rely on the people. In
the history of China, those leaders who successfully rectified the officials
all relied on the support of the people."
Xi
Jinping himself went to rural areas from city during his youth. He has many years of experience with
the peasants. Wei said that Xi is
relatively in a better position to understand the peasants, in comparison to
other officials of the Communist Party: "Unlike some cadres who do not
know peasants at all and look down at the peasants in their hearts. Many Communist cadres are like this,
that they feel that they are superior.
Xi had a longer time in the countryside. That helps his understanding of peasants and being
relatively closer to them.
However, most importantly, I think that the social conflicts in China have
been too serious for a long time.
Many Chinese have become second-class, even third-class citizens, which
is a problem that must be solved."
*
Strategic Gateway to Success *
As
to the current Chinese President Xi Jinping being determined to lead China in
the direction of a democratic society, Jamie Metzl, the senior fellow of the
"Asia Society" said that only when the political reforms are each
implemented which include the rule of law, transparency, press freedom, and
people having the power, then the real intention of Xi Jinping will be fully
displayed. As of now, Xi's
measures including anti-corruption inevitably let outsiders detect the move
against his political dissidents.
Further, some observers relate Xi Jinping to the Russian leader Vladimir
Putin, as the current "Little Mao Zedong" and "Little
Stalin" respectively. Some
analysts say that it will be helpful to punish the high level corruption for Xi
Jinping to collect all the power into himself within a period of time.
Arthur
Waldron, Professor of history and international relations at the University of
Pennsylvania, said during a previous interview with VOA that, since the end of
the Mao Zedong era, China has done a lot, with some visible and considerable
achievement. Now it is facing the
rest of the "10%" which is the most difficult task, yet "this
10% will determine the success or failure," of China being able to break
through the cage of the past and become a country of order in a true sense.
Original
link of this report:
http://www.voachinese.com/content/xi-jinping-new-measures-abolishing-agri-registration/1970809.html
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中文版
Wei
Jingsheng Foundation News and Article Release Issue: A834-W532
魏京生基金会新闻与文章发布号：A834-W532
Release
Date: August 10, 2014
发布日：2014年8月10日
Topic:
Abolishing Agricultural Household Registration, Another "Clever" Move
by Xi Jinping? (Voice of America)
标题：取消农业户口、习近平再现"高招"？（美国之音燕青报道）
Original
Language Version: Chinese (Chinese version at the end)
此号以中文为准（英文在前，中文在后）
如有中文乱码问题，请与我们联系或访问:
http://www.weijingsheng.org/report/report2014/report2014-08/WeiJSonXiJP140810VOAinterviewA834-W532.htm
-----------------------------------------------------------------
取消农业户口、习近平再现"高招"？
-- 美国之音
燕青
最后更新 03.08.2014 19:41
华盛顿 - 中国政府日前公布说，将彻底改革实施了长达半个世纪的城乡户口制，取消"农"与"非农"，将全民进行统一登记，由过去的"二元"转为"一元"。
这一消息引起了中国境内以及境外一些公众舆论的关注。一些评论人士对这一举措是否将给城市带来"贫民窟"等现象，表达了关切，然而多数人的意见倾向于，常年实施的工农分割的户口制度本来就不合理，近年来随着农民进城工作、生活，各种矛盾和问题愈加层出不穷，解决农民的户口问题，堪称是"良策"。
*博爱基于平等*
长期关注中国社会进程、早在1970年代末就提出中国需要民主体制这"第五个现代化"的民主人士魏京生在华盛顿接受美国之音采访时说，取消农村和城市户口之间带来的鸿沟，将有助于一个自由、平等的公民社会的形成。"城市人口里面已经有将近一半都是农村进城打工的，他们不被当作人，当然也不把你当作人。这是一个很糟糕的状况。人人平等其实对大家都有好处，不是仅仅对农民有好处。"
*'农村户口'与'计划生育'*
说到最初为什么会产生农村户口和城市户口这样的政策，魏京生说，这同共产党执政下所出台并且长期执行的另外一项让世人侧目的政策有着相同的根源。"跟计划生育的理由是一样的，就是说，共产党的经济搞不好，解决不了就业的问题，所以就以农村户口把农民固定在乡下，不让他们进城。计划生育也是一样，经济搞不好，就怪人家孩子生多了。"
在被问到中国政府出台这一政策，是否标志着一种社会"进步"，魏京生说，与其说是"进步"，倒不如说更像是"拨乱反正"。
*让中国社会回复正常*
一向认为中国传统文化中孕育了许多自由、平等因素的魏京生说："中国两千年来的社会制度，农村人和城里人就是平等的，甚至有的时代农民有考当官的资格，商人还没有呢！所以说，这对于中国社会来说，只是回复到一种正常状况。"
魏京生说，取消农村户口、让农村和城市人口平等地站在同一起跑线上，虽说不是"历史性的进步"，但由于这一政策符合人与人之间在最基本的意义上"生来平等"的理念，将有利于中国社会的稳定和发展。
*产权、土地、教育、医疗*
中国新闻社和新华社等官方媒体在7月30号报道了户口体制改革的消息，援引的是国务院7月24号出台的"关于进一步推进户籍制度改革的意见"。其中，特别没有用到"农民工"这一被普遍认为是具有歧视性质的词语，而是改用"农业转移人口"。这份文件同时还提到了"权责对等的原则"、"公民义务"等概念。在"切实保障农业转移人口及其他常住人口合法权益"一栏下面，特别提到要"完善农村产权制度"："现阶段，不得以退出土地承包经营权、宅基地使用权、
集体收益分配权作为农民进城落户的条件"。另外，"保障农业转移人口及其他常住人口随迁子女平等享有受教育权利，将随迁子女义务教育纳入各级政府教育发展规划和财政保障范畴"、"整合城乡居民基本医疗保险制度"。
*群众路线*
魏京生在接受美国之音采访的时候说，习近平领导下的中国政府，在这个时候推出这一举措，和当下大力进行的高端、或者说是"深水"反腐有着直接的关系。在魏京生看来，"习近平走出的还是一步比较好的棋，就是说他开始依靠老百姓了；只要依靠老百姓就是一个好事。"
中国"历史上能够成功整顿吏治的，依靠的都是老百姓的支持。"
习近平本人青年时代从城市到乡村，有着多年和农民相处的经历。魏京生说，和中共其他官员比起来，习近平还相对比较了解农民；"不像某些干部，根本不了解农民，而且根本看不起农民。我觉得很多干部都是这样的，他觉得自己高人一等。习近平在农村呆的时间比较长，这个对他了解农民、跟农民比较亲近，也有一定的关系。但是最主要的，我觉得，还是长期以来引起的社会矛盾太严重了，很多中国人变成二等、甚至三等公民，这是必须要解决的一个问题。"
*成败的关口*
至于说现任中国国家主席习近平是否有决心带领中国朝着民主社会的方向迈进，美国"亚洲协会"的高级研究员麦策尔（Jamie Metzl, Senior Fellow, Asia Society）说，等到法治、透明度、新闻自由、主权在民这些政治改革一步步落实了，习近平真正的意图才会全部展现出来。就目前来看，反腐等措施难免让外界嗅到政坛上打击异己的气味。更有观察人士将习近平和俄罗斯当下领导人普京分别比作"小毛泽东"和"小斯大林"。不过，也有分析人士说，要惩办高端腐败，习近平一段时间内大权独揽有助于成功。
美国宾夕法尼亚大学历史和国际关系学教授阿瑟.沃顿(Arthur Waldron, University of Pennsylvania) 之前接受美国之音采访的时候说，自从毛泽东时代结束以来，中国方面已经做了很多了，而且也已经看到了相当的成果，如今面临的是剩下的那"10%"最为艰巨的任务，而"这10%恰恰将决定成败"，即中国是否能够冲出过去的牢笼，成为一个真正意义上的有序的国家。
美国之音报道的原始连接：
http://www.voachinese.com/content/xi-jinping-new-measures-abolishing-agri-registration/1970809.html
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