Positive Changes the Defining Feature of the Past and Future

Posted by AsiaViews | Oct 16, 2017 | 0 |

The China Daily

Oct 10, 2017

The Chinese Dream, proposed by Xi Jinping when he became general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in late 2012, has been the catchword for the country since then. It will continue to frame the agenda for the nation after the 19th CPC National Congress that begins later this month.

President Xi has emphasized the purpose of government is to protect and improve the lives of the people and the Chinese Dream serves as a clarion call for bringing real benefits to the Chinese people.

The first stage of this dream, building a moderately prosperous society, is to be attained by deepening reform and governing the nation according to the law, which requires strict governance of the Party.

As the other three goals would be impossible to realize without the rectitude of Party members, an anti-corruption campaign has been rigorously implemented, effectively curbing the rampant corruption within the Party and government that had previously accompanied the country’s dramatic economic growth.

And in this regard, great achievements have been made. In the past five years, 140 officials at ministerial level or above have been either investigated or indicted, which indicates the central leadership’s resolve to make everyone equal before the law and its bid to consolidate the Party’s governing capabilities by ensuring the probity of officials.

With such needed change has come the better-than-expected performance of the country’s economy over the past five years, much higher than the world’s average, despite the headwinds of economic restructuring and the difficult external environment.

Last year, China’s gross domestic product reached $11.2 trillion, accounting for 15 percent of the global total, 3 percentage points higher than that of 2012. From 2013 to 2016, China’s economy contributed 30 percent to the world’s economic growth, more than that of the eurozone, the United States and Japan combined.

That achievement has been the hallmark of resolve demonstrated by the country’s leaders over the past five years to advance necessary economic and social reforms that have entered the deep-water stage.

There is a lot more that can be said about the progress that has been made over the past five years. But there is one word that encapsulates what the country and its people have experienced in that time－change.

Some have sought to ignore or belittle that change, but it is there nonetheless. And people here are aware of it, and feel its effects.

Some who benefited from the situation before change, and sought continuation of the existing status quo may have grudges or grievances. Yet, for most people, the change has been undeniably for the better and will be even more so in the near future.

(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2017-10/10/content_33058230.htm)

About The Author

AsiaViews

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Neigborhood Watch

Subscribe To Newsletter

POINTS TO PONDER

EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

Positive Changes the Defining Feature of the Past and Future