On September 8, millions of voters in Guangzhou voted
for the District and County People's Congress representatives.
Out of 9,000 candidates, 5,000 people will be elected.
Candidates were nominated by political parties/organizations,
with no independent candidates nominated. Experts believe,
National People's Congress (NPC) can't represent the people,
and it is only used to fool people, becoming an appendage
of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and tragic for China.
Since June, at least 14 independent candidates
openly declared their wish to participate in the NPC elections.
Most of them had given up under the pressure
of their employers or families.
Eventually only five gathered sufficient numbers to enter
the primary list, but ultimately could not become candidates.
According to Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper,
the order to get rid of independent candidates was issued
by the NPC Chairman Wu Bangguo.
He required all regions to get rid of independent candidates.
Besides layers of blockade in the election process, they can
mobilize public opinion for 'encirclement and suppression.'
Liu Yinquan, China Social Democratic Party Secretary said
that candidates are determined by the CCP departments;
they could not represent the people at all.
Thus such an election has no democratic nature.
Liu Yinquan (Secretary, China Social Democratic Party):
"NPC candidates were usually nominated by the CCP.
They were screened repeatedly in political checkups,
and were considered reliable to CCP.
This is a satire, rape of public opinion,
and a way to fool the people."
Mr. Luo, a representative of a village in Guangzhou said
grassroots NPC representatives are all appointed, not elected,
so no one really cares about the election.
Mr. Luo (representative of a Guangzhou village):
"If your opinion is inconsistent with it (CCP),
it's useless even if you are elected.
They will bring you down, and you have no power to speak."
Recently, hundreds of independent candidates emerged
across the country and were interviewed by the authorities.
They were threatened, put under house arrests, kidnapped,
or even arrested, thus independent candidates were eliminated.
Writer Xia Shang in Shanghai and Li Chengpeng in Chengdu,
once claimed to run for the election, gave up under pressure.
Cao Tian, who once won the title '2005 Ten Outstanding
Youths in China's Economic Reform,'
and was awarded as one of the 'Top 100 Most Influential
Contemporary Writers' by the Chinese Writers Association,
announced his campaign for mayor of Zhengzhou.
In the past few months, he was investigated thoroughly
by the authorities in Henan and was given a fine
for the amount of RMB6 million.
In addition, many of his company's shareholders were
require to report problems within given time and place
by Zhengzhou Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission.
Xu Yan, a citizen at downtown Hangzhou,
became an independent candidate of NPC.
He believes that as a voter and citizen, he has a full right
to participate in the elections according to the Constitution.
Xu Yan said the external pressure can not affect
his determination to participate in the election.
Xu Yan: "It (CCP) came to check my company, it threatened
my family and myself. This shows it was afraid of me.
So I do not need to be fearful of it Difficulties and resistance
can't stop me or my progress, can't hinder my moving on."
Xu Yan's greatest wish is to truly represent the public and
stop the tragedies of people dying during demolitions.
He did not understand why independent candidates
had given up in Guangzhou.
Xu Yan: "I believe if there is a fair vote count in Guangzhou,
an independent candidate will be elected."
However, there are people who do not believe
in the election of independent candidates.
Guangdong-based justice activist Tianli thinks that voting
is just a speculation if not everyone can vote.
Independent candidates or not, they could not fulfill
their responsibilities in the communist regime's environment.
Tianli: "Even if you are elected, it is useless.
You are just to create a false impression and gild them.
You have to serve the dictatorship's regime. You can not
voice opposition, and this regime will not allow you
to have an opposing voice. In fact those representatives
of the people are the government's window-dressing,
they just use the media to fool the people.
In reality it is still 'the Party calls the shots.'
Liu also believes that the NPC is the highest authority,
according to China's Constitution,
but now CCP has turned it to an accessory, a rubber-stamp,
which is actually a violation of the Constitution, and tragic.
NTD reporters Liang Xin, Song Feng and Xiao Yan
