Timothy Cooper Speech at Zhao's Memorial Service on Jan 18, 2005
FCM
ZHAO ZIYANG: IN MEMORIAM
January 18, 2005
Timothy Cooper
Though I never met Zhao Yiyang, I know him. I know him because I know the spirit of the Chinese dissidents from the Tiananmen Square era that he tried so hard to help.
What I know about Zhao Yiyang is that he recognized, above all else, that the natural course of political evolution in China should not fall prey to the tragic miscalculation of the brutal use of force.
Zhao Yiyang was a man who appreciated the wisdom of peaceful dissent. But he was also a man who paid a heavy price for this knowledge and for standing for this principle against a regime that favored bloodshed over peaceful compromise.
Zhao was a man of peace. This is the simple truth. And you-the Tiananmen Square era dissidents-are his living legacy.
You are the new peaceful reformers of a new democratic China.
You are the peaceful visionaries of a China that will use the rule of law instead of the rule of the jungle to settle national disputes.
You are the future peaceful leaders that can and will make the new democratic China a good neighbor to every country in the world.
The most important lesson Zhao Ziyang may have had to teach was this: The ends do not justify the means-rather, the means are as important as the ends.
So by continuing to do what you do-fighting for peaceful change in China- you validate the last 15 years of Zhao Ziyang's life-a life of severe limitation and sacrifice-a life under house arrest-and you give it a broader, deeper significance. For you echo his call, his ideas, his voice.
This is the highest form of devotion that you can show to him.
You demonstrate that China's future leaders subscribe to Zhao's philosophy, and that under your leadership China will be a peaceful nation.
Unfortunately, China's reaction to Zhao's death reveals more about the character of China today than the story of Zhao's heroic last years. In its response to Zhao's death, China reveals itself to be the frightened tiger, chasing after its own, long shadow.
--Yesterday, for instance, a man laid down in Tiananmen Square to mark Zhao's passing and he was immediately whisked away by police;
--Hundreds, if not thousands of Chinese citizens posted messages of sympathy for Zhao on Internet message boards; but these were almost instantly erased by Chinese censors;
--Inside China, news of Zhao's death has been blocked on the world's major websites;
--In Beijing, CNN's announcement of Zhao's death was blocked as well;
And the New China News Agency issued only a single sentence to note Zhao's death, a single line above a story about the Golden Globe movie awards.
Yes, China is a frightened tiger; it fears its own shadow; its own history; it even fears its own democratic future. A nation that cannot acknowledge its own failings is a nation that probably should fear its own shadow. Democracy in China will cure this woe.
If China will not-cannot-commemorate his passing, then it is only fitting that you-the Tiananmen Square generation-do.
There is every reason to honor a fellow countryman of peace-a man who sought to help you and spare you and your country misery.
And I am honored to stand with you today to pay homage to a man who stood on the right side of revolution-who stood with you.
In Zhao's name let us reaffirm our belief that the road to revolution-not only in China-but for the rest of the world as well-is also the road of peace.
Timothy Cooper
Executive Director
W O R L D R I G H T S
Human rights advocacy worldwide
202/361-0989 (cell) . Worldright@aol.com
www.world-rights.org
Timothy Cooper at Zhao's Memorial Service on Jan 18, 2005
(01/21/2005 0:26)
(01/23/2005 21:09)
Previous writings by the author in the year
- "Mourn the Pass Away of Ziyang and Say Bye to the Communist Party" Rally in Washington DC (01/18/2005 10:30)
- Public Statement to Mr. Zhao Ziyang's Death (01/17/2005 15:19)
- Free China Movement leaders Praise Mr. Zhao Ziyang's courage to stand on the right side of (01/16/2005 22:43)
- Public Rally: "Chinese Communist Party, Bye-for-Good" (01/06/2005)