Xi urged to allow more freedoms
(01-24 15:44)
A former Hong Kong delegate to the National People's Congress, Ng Hong-man, has expressed hope that China's next President, Xi Jinping, will allow his people the freedoms stipulated in the country's constitution.
Writing in his regular newspaper column, Ng said people on the mainland had not been given the rights enshrined in China's constitution namely freedoms of speech, the press, publication, assembly, association, and demonstration, RTHK reports.
Ng also noted that the constitution bars illegal detention but he still hears many stories of house arrest.
Ng also wrote that the National People's Congress had failed to ensure the full implemention of the constitution. He referred to the censorship controversy at Southern Weekly earlier this month. The Guangzhou-based newspaper had called for more political reform in its New Year's editorial. But part of it was axed and replaced instead with party propaganda.
Ng said although the original editorial may have been hard for some officials to swallow, all it was really calling for was the proper implementation of China's constitution. He questioned the wisdom of suppressing articles that put forward public aspirations, asking what would happen if the people decide they can no longer accept such censorship.
Ng, however, stressed that unrest is not something most mainland people want to see given the very tough times China has gone through in the past.
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