In 1989, if we are reminded, we will remember tanks rolling over students, killing students trapped in Tian'anmen Square. The Government of China killing its own students, it was a chilling news story, but I do not think any of us would have guessed how little impact that tragedy would have on the government of China, that those deaths appear to be largely lost in vain and forgotten. There is a verse in the Koran which says, 'to kill an innocent person is to kill all of humanity'. It kills me to think of that day, doubly so as a student myself and it angers me to this day. There has been no apology, and that is bitter my friends, bitter. The only thing to do, is to hold fast to the intention that we would have their courage, and that we shall overcome.
China has done its work to suppress dissent and even mention of the massacre, Google has participated in that, and I regret that as much as I like google, as we all do. I could not stomach Jean Chretien's great friendship with China, his willingness to ignore their human rights disaster for the love of money. Today, the Dalai Lama is still in exile having had his country occupied, monastaries destroyed, people persecuted and forced into labour, cultural genocide and the land he hoped for as an environmental and peace zone ravaged. Recent reports confirmed the Falun Gong's years of outcry over live human organ transplant from political prisoners who are then left to die. This goes on.
I myself forgot June 4th, meagre as the coverage is even here. And now we have the Olympics in China. China has been one of the greatest nations on earth, a great people. Some of the greatest were killed by its worst that day, martyred if you will, in the hopes for democracy.
Today George Bush parades around his false vision of the same, but while saying 'democracy' at every speech, fails to mention Tian'anmen, even on June 4th. But his version of democracy is built on violence and aggression, kind of like the New England licence plate, 'live free or die.'
I'm getting off topic, but one more thing. The Great Wal-Mart of China, and Giant Tiger, the Great China Store are rolling in cheap imports from China driven by Chinese sweatshop labour (I remember the reports of workers dying of overwork). We're asked to buy Canadian, but Canadian is disappearing fast. And when we talk against free trade, sometimes we're called Communists by the far right. The Communist government of China is exploiting free trade like no other.
It's time for a trade policy with China that insists they raise labour standards with fairness to workers and those of whom they trade with, insists they address human rights, insists they Free Tibet.
End of rant.
Arif Jinha - LFLA candidate for the NDP
