Netizens Ask What China Needs For Democracy–Its Own Aung San Suu Kyi, or a Thein Sein?

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It was a study in contrasts. Newly elected Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s recent tour of the United States drew the world’s attention to the ongoing democratic reforms in Burma. Meanwhile, President Thein Sein’s simultaneous trip to the U.S. received much less exposure. 

But Thein Sein’s role in Burma’s transformation did not go unnoticed in China. On Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter, author Xu Shaolin (@老徐时评) tweeted the following to his over 90,000 followers: 

“With the changes in Burma, the world has focused its eyes on Aung San Suu Kyi. Yet it should be President Thein Sein, who came from the ranks of the military, that deserves the most credit. It was he who released political prisoners, allowed exiles to return, and abolished censorship both online and in print. Recently, he has even remarked that if Aung San Suu Kyi is elected as the next president, he will do his best to support her. The lesson we should learn from Burma’s transformation is that China isn’t in need of an Aung San Suu Kyi―what we need is a Thein Sein!” {{Chinese}}[[Chinese]]缅甸变了，全世界都把目光聚焦于昂山素季。其实最大的功臣应该是军人出身的现任总统吴登盛。正是他释放政治犯、允许流亡者归国、解除境外网站封锁和新闻审查，日前他更表示如果该国人民投票选择昂山素季担任总统，他将全力支持。缅甸的变革带给我们的启示是：中国不缺昂山素季，缺的是吴登盛！[[Chinese]]

Xu Shaolin’s remark sparked a huge discussion, with the tweet generating more than 26,000 retweets and over 6,000 comments, much of them involving deep soul-searching about China’s future.

In particular, netizens sought to answer this question: What is prohibiting China from undertaking democratic reforms?

Some netizens sided with Xu’s contention that what China lacks is in fact a benevolent, reformist minded leader like Thein Sein. Many netizens compared Thein Sein to Chiang Ching-kuo, the son of the late Chiang Kai-shek and the leader credited with opening the gate for democracy in Taiwan.

@免战牌 lamented, “Taiwan had Chiang Ching-kuo, so they’ve had democracy for many years now. The mainland only had Emperor Mao [毛太祖, referring to Mao Zedong] and King Deng [邓太宗, referring to Deng Xiaoping]… If [Chiang Kai-shek] didn’t retreat back to Taiwan, we would have a democracy now too!”

Other netizens disagreed, arguing out that the ongoing reforms under Thein Sein only constitute a passive response to the active pursuit of democracy by Sui Kyi and other freedom fighters. @cfec183105 warned of the dangers of relying on the regime in power to initiate reforms: “There are no messiahs! Do not pray for a benevolent ruler or a savior. It is the persistent struggles of democracy fighters like Aung San Suu Kyi and the tremendous impact of the tide of global democratization that created reformists like Thein Sein, and never the opposite. Democracy can never be obtained without a fight. Waiting for a benevolent ruler can only be a fantasy.” 

@青水微木 was even more cynical, tweeting, “We in China cannot expect beneficence from anyone. Our country is too big. Even if we had a Chiang Ching-kuo, he wouldn’t be able to convince those under him to give up power.” 

Perhaps frustrated with the lack of leadership both within the government and outside of it, @木凳了 called upon Chinese citizens themselves to take the initiative and push for change. He wrote, “Don’t push off your own responsibilities to other people and hope for a free ride. China doesn’t lack any single person. What we lack is everybody caring about their own happiness, rights and freedoms, and being willing to defend them with our lives.”

At the end of the day, netizens recognize the myriad factors that come into play in one nation’s transition from autocracy to democracy. @北京崔卫平 tried to balance all viewpoints. She reasoned, “It’s difficult to say who contributed the most (to the democratic reforms in Burma). Without persistent efforts and sacrifice on the part of the people, the present situation would have been impossible. In today’s open environment, to initiate major social change, we cannot exclude either opposition forces outside the government, or forces from within the ruling regime itself.”

Regardless of what China lacks, it does not seem likely that it will follow in Burma’s footsteps anytime soon. However, netizens’ overwhelming show of respect and admiration for reformist leaders like Thein Sein give those of us pining for political reforms in China a reason to be hopeful.

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