Civilized or Cowardly?  You Tell Me  

It would be quite odd, in fact, unimaginable, for an American city like Montebello to experience a protest like the following:  

A Chinese Village Takes a Stand against Graft  

Locals in the village of Xiantang have occupied their village hall for the past 14 weeks to protest what they say is official  graft.

By Peter Ford, staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor, October 18, 2007  

Reporter Peter Ford explores various reasons why the Chinese government has allowed the Xiantang protests, now in their 14th week, to continue for so long. 

Xiantang, China - On the face of it, the giant red banner strung across the entrance to the village hall here, urging support for Beijing's campaign against official corruption, seems unexceptional.  

In fact, it is the rallying point for what may be the longest sustained act of defiance against Communist Party authorities in recent Chinese history.  It is also emblematic of the enormous difficulties that the Chinese government faces in retaining legitimacy in ordinary people's eyes.  

The slogan is not the work of the mayor of this quiet southern village of around 3,500 souls, nor any of his aides.  Rather, it was daubed by angry residents who have been occupying the village hall for more than three months in protest against local leaders who they say have stolen millions of dollars in public funds. …  

Why would we not do this in Montebello?  Because we are civilized or cowardly?  I would say a little of both.  Civilized because our democracy is further developed and we have more than one option to root out corruption:  the California Public Records Act, televised meetings, elections, recalls, court challenges, sometimes-independent news media.  However, at the same time we are cowardly because we Montebelloans are not civic activists.  Why are we afraid?  If we were to say “retaliation,” then it would seem as if our democracy, while further developed than China’s, were not fully developed.  

If you answer the multiple-choice questions below and e-mail to lessonanswers@mymontebello.com with “Lesson answers” in the subject field, you will be credited toward a “certificate of recognition in community affairs” to be awarded in 2007 by a local nonprofit organization.  

1. What have the Chinese in one village done?

(a) Initiated a campaign denouncing official corruption.

(b) Put into action a national campaign against official corruption.  

2. What have the villagers done?

(a) Gone on a hunger strike.

(b) Occupied city hall.  

3. What might have prevented the protest?

(a) The right of villagers to see public documents at any reasonable time.

(b) The right of villagers to call a recall election at any reasonable time.

(c) The authority given to a court to investigate following a petition by villagers.    

November 8, 2007