Liberal thinker, whose works fuelled speculation of political reform, is to pursue life in academia :
SCMP
Jun Mai
Oct, 28, 2015
Yu Keping has written extensively about democracy and political reform. Photo: Jonathan Wong
A prominent liberal who has written extensively about democracy and political reform has resigned from a Communist Party bureau, citing an interest in academics.
Yu Keping, 56, said yesterday his resignation as deputy chief of the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau had been approved, and that he would move to Peking University’s School of Government, Thepaper.cn reported yesterday.
Yu rose to prominence when his book Democracy is a Good Thing was published in 2006. In it he discussed issues ranging from Western democracy to civil society, subjects rarely touched by Chinese officials.
In a commentary that year in the Beijing Daily, Yu wrote extensively on the advantages of democracy, arguing it provided equal opportunities for all and was a basic value of humanity.
In an echo of Winston Churchill’s quote that “democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others”, Yu wrote: “Among all the political systems invented and implemented by the human race, democracy is the one with the least defects. In other words, democracy is by far the best political system of the human race.”
He wrote that he was not calling for a replica of Western democracy, but for a type of democracy that matched China’s reality.
Yu’s works prompted speculation the Communist Party was about to embark on political reform. Photo: Jonathan Wong
His high-profile discussion about democracy – and his position at the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau, which is under the party’s central committee – fuelled speculation the party was to embark on significant political reform.
Yu has also been candid about the Cultural Revolution. In an interview last year to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping’s birth, Yu spoke highly of Deng’s effort to “thoroughly denounce the cultural revolution” and “refute the personality cult”. He also praised Deng’s reforms to separate the government from the party and promote in-party democracy.
But he also said many targets Deng had set for leadership reform had not been met.
Democracy is by far the best political system of the human race
YU KEPING
Since Xi Jinping became president in 2012, college lectures on civil society – one of Yu’s specialisms – have been banned, as have those on freedom of speech and judicial independence.
In addition, some of the mild democratic reforms made within the party under the previous leadership – such as in-party voting – have become targets of criticism, with party mouthpieces now condemning “deciding appointments solely on votes”.
Yu, who is four years shy of retirement age, said his resignation was a result of his interest in academics and sense of responsibility to political studies.
He said he had tried to resign three or four years ago but had needed to help the bureau in a transitional period as it had seen three directors in four years.
His focus would shift from “political reality” to political theories and history, he said.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Liberal says bye to party bureau
