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Why India should scrap parliamentary democracy Arab News In short, India's freewheeling multi-party democracy has become one of perennial plebiscite. India's latest round of elections included five state assemblies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prevailed in Uttar Pradesh ... BJP's Hegemonic Power Poses a Challenge to Indian DemocracyThe Wire all 3,400 news articles »

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Why India should scrap parliamentary democracy - Arab News

As the Dutch election campaign, swayed by far-right leader Geert Wilders, draws to a close, parties set to gain a near-majority in parliament have made proposals threatening the rule of law: bills on denaturalization and digital privacy that pose threats to individual rights have been approved by parliament.

The Rule of Law Under Threat

A report published by the Dutch Bar Association last month shows that 40 percent of the programs of Dutch parties contain proposals in conflict with the rule of law, fundamental human rights and the right to due process.

Though election polls have been rather volatile over the last couple of weeks, three parties on the right of the political spectrum appear set to win a near-majority in parliament ahead of the election. Prime Minister Mark Rutte's liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the Party for Freedom (PVV), and the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), are set to win a total of between 60 and 72 seats. 76 seats are required to gain a majority in the 150-seat parliament.

The association identified all three parties' election programs as making pledges at odds with the rule of law. Most of those pledges, if put into practice, would discriminate against Muslims.

The PVV's anti-Islam manifesto includes proposals to close all mosques and Islamic schools, ban the Quran, Islamic 'expressions' deemed at odds with 'public order' and headscarves in public functions, and calls for the preventive detention of 'radical' Muslims. The bar association deems the proposals a breach of the right of Muslims to freedom of belief, speech and education. On the other hand, the CDA seek to halt the financing of mosques and Islamic organizations from abroad. Again, the proposal has been regarded as discriminatory to Muslims as the same measures are not proposed for organizations of other religions.

But proposals endangering the rule of law have also been made in areas unrelated to religion. The PVV calls for the denaturalization and deportation of criminals with dual nationality. Similarly, the VVD wants to confiscate the Dutch nationality of citizens participating in terrorist organizations abroad, regardless of whether the person in question has received a criminal sentence. The party also wants to restrict the application of international agreements in the Netherlands.

Already in Practice?

Ahead of the election, last month, the Dutch senate passed a version of the VVD's law giving the justice and security ministry authority to strip those posing a risk to national security and joining terror organizations abroad of their Dutch nationality, without the need for a court order. A prior criminal conviction is not required either. Courts will only be informed after the person in question is denaturalised, but would then be able to overturn the decision.

In practice, the law will only be applicable to dual nationals, as leaving citizens stateless through the confiscation of nationality is against international law. Thus, like Wilders' proposal on dual national criminals, the law equates to an unequal status for dual nationals. This is a violation of the first article of the Dutch constitution, which requires that all citizens be 'treated equally in equal circumstances'.

In a letter to the Dutch government, Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Niels Muinieks has said that Moroccan and Turkish nationals are more 'likely to be, de facto, primarily affected by the bill than others,' warning that the principle of non-discrimination should apply to those who acquired Dutch nationality by birth and those who acquired it later on.

Though discussion of the law, by politicians and media alike, has focused on citizens who leave to fight in Syria -- referred to as Syrigangers in Dutch -- hostility towards dual nationals is a deep-seated issue which has lain at the heart of xenophobic politics for over a decade. Figures from the Central Statistics Bureau show that of the 1.3 million Dutch citizens who are dual nationals, 50 percent hold the Moroccan or Turkish nationality. As such, targeting dual nationals has been a key issue of interest to Wilders and his anti-Islam stance. In 2007, he accused two junior ministers of Turkish and Moroccan descent, of 'double loyalty' due to their dual nationalities and tabled a motion of no confidence in them. Last year, he called the Dutch parliament 'fake' for electing a speaker of Moroccan descent instead of the PVV candidate.

Despite criticisms, the bill was voted into law by a coalition of the ruling VVD, the PVV, the CDA and two other fringe parties, while the Labour Party, part of the current coalition, had supported it in the lower chamber of parliament, but not in the senate. Wilders has praised the new law, but argued that the PVV proposal on criminality would take it a necessary step further.

Intelligence-Gathering

A second bill regulating intelligence-gathering, approved by parliament last month but pending senate approval, paves the way for further potential rights violations. The bill gives the AIVD intelligence agency the power to tap all forms of communication on the orders of or with the permission of the interior minister, subject to approval by an independent commission. The bill requires 'serious suspicion' that a person or an organization poses a threat to the democratic order, security, or other state agencies. It was mostly adopted by the same parties voting in favor of the revocation of nationality, as well as the Labour Party.

Unlike the current law, which only permits the tapping of a specific suspect's online communications, the new law makes way for bulk data collection. There are serious concerns regarding the scale of data that could fall into the hands of the AIVD and could breach rights to privacy. Despite assurances that irrelevant data will be deleted, this has not been enough to convince digital privacy organizations as well as the opposition parties that voted against the bill.

Both the law on the revocation of Dutch nationality and intelligence-gathering were drawn up with specific concerns about terrorism and Dutch citizens leaving the Netherlands to join militant groups in Syria, one of the key issues, alongside the European migration crisis, that has kept Wilders up in the polls for over two years. In this sense, they are the policy consequences of the rightwards shift of Dutch politics in recent times. With the volatility of its election campaign and Dutch political system based on coalitions, it is difficult to predict which parties will form a government after the election. But, looking at the polls, these issues are likely to remain very much alive.

Read more here:
The Erosion of Dutch Democracy - Truth-Out

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When we investigate at colleges and universities, we find that attention levels at thought and political theory classes are not high. People are there in body but not in spirit, ministerChen Baosheng lamented, calling for professors to do away with packaging that is not that fashionable and find new, trendy ways to encourage the nations youth to embrace Communism. With the spread of religion Christianity and Islam in particular and consumerism, fewer and fewer young Chinese people care to embrace the 20th-century ways of Mao Zedong.

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If the recent history of President Xi Jinpings tenure is any indication, that new trendy packaging will involve attempts at American-style hip-hop music. While Beijing has censored hundreds of pop songs, many of them rap songs, for harming social morality, the Chinese government has taken to publishing rap music videos with pro-Beijing, pro-Marxist messages in the hope of attracting youth attention.

Below, five of the most painful attempts at coolness from the Chinese government:

The Four Comprehensives Rap February 2016

The Four Comprehensives are vague government objectives intended to bring about the Chinese dream, Beijings communist alternative to the American dream. They are, according toThe Nanfang: to comprehensively develop a moderately prosperous society, tocomprehensively reform the country, tocomprehensively enact a rule of law, and tocomprehensively root out Party corruption.

Naturally, the state outlet Xinhua saw in this fertile ground for a hip-hop anthem.

The Four Comprehensives Rap features such catchy lyrics asthe environment will become greener and haze will disappear andProsperity is the goal, reform is the drive, rule of law is the guarantee, building up the Party is the key! While in America, rap music surfaced as a defiant voice against perceived corruption of those in power, Chinese government rap celebrates utmost submission to authority.Respect, obey and implement the law, the lyrics warn laypersons and Party members alike.

As with many Chinese government-sponsored rap videos, this songs music video features bizarre animated sequences featuring a middle-aged man lecturing a young girl with the song. The girl, who initially dismisses the Four Comprehensives as about the Chinese dream or whatever, learns to love the governments abstract promises.

The Reform Group is Two Years Old December 2015

Who would ever suspect that a rap song with a title as catchy asThe Reform Group is Two Years Old was written by stodgy old Marxists locked up in the bureaucratic mazes of Beijing? The titular reform group is an ad hoc creation meant to weed out corruption in local Communist Party offices. As with The Four Comprehensives Rap, the song praises the benefits of strict adherence to the rule of law and deference to authority.

Streamline the administration and delegate power to lower levels and unleash energy, the rapper performing the song demands.Only the daring will prevail at key stages of reform.

To rule the party strictly we must harden our bodies, the judicial reform must be victorious, the song continues, thanking Communist Party officials for their commitment to the environment: they hate smog to the bone. Chinese government propaganda repeatedly mentions the alleged successes of Xis administration in protecting the environment to mask its woeful failure in addressing the issue.

President Big Daddy Xi appears in animated form in the video, and the song itself incorporates some key quotes from Xi speeches into its lyrics.

This Is China June 2016

Unlike many government productions, this rap song was the product of an actual rap group, albeit a loyalist Communist Party rap group. CD Rev, which had previously released pro-Marxist singles independent of the government, wrote a song the government claimed was meant to show the real face of China. The red dragon aint no evil, the rappers claim. Instead, the nation is full of young men like us, aspiring and friendly.

The rap group celebrates the Chinese government because we have tight gun control laws and we can use apps to pay in nearly all the situations.

Marx Is a Millennial May 2016

Literally translating to Marx is a Post-90s, the Chinese language term for the same generation, thisgovernment-commissioned work of art is intended to address the issue Education Minister Chen appears so alarmed by: the fact that young Chinese people, attracted to Western culture and the hope of a comfortable, capitalist lifestyle, have little interest in Communist dogma. The rapper in this song admits to never being interested in Marx before one day, I discovered how awesome he was.

The music video boasts bright colors and a geometric design reminiscent of the 1980s Dire Straits music video Money for Nothing.

I saw my faith, dont even ask why/You are my Venus, my dear Marx,the song proclaims.

Xinhua appeared particularly proud of this production in its article about the rap song. How to make Marxism attractive to the Chinese youth? Maybe a rap!the state outlets write-up reads.

Battle Declaration May 2016

Unlike the videos previously mentioned, Battle Declaration does not rely on bizarre cartoonish designs or a fun, colorful tone to attract attention. This rap song was intended to attract young people to a career in the Chinese military, and its aesthetic is much closer to teen boy Xtreme marketing than the bright jewel hues of Marx Is a Millennial.

The lyrics are also significantly more dramatic:

Even if a bullet passes through my chest My mission remains carved in my heart Brothers, lets follow this path [Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!] Roar with animal spirit Look to the bravest general of them all Walk from here toward the site of combat

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5 Chinese Government Hip-Hop Anthems Meant to Make Communism Cool Again - Breitbart News

Offering statues as gifts to other nations has long been a subtle way of extending politicsinto the realm of arts. New York's Statue of Liberty, for instance, wasfunded by France to celebrate freedom and enlightenment.

But a similar gift from China is now putting Germans in a rather awkward position. The influential Germantrading partner wants to buy the town of Trier a statue of Karl Marx to honor him as one of the co-authors of the Communist Manifesto, a political text written with Friedrich Engels in 1848. Another German town accepted a similaroffer two years ago.

To some in Trier, the giftis a welcome expression of Chinese-German partnership. To others, however, the free Karl Marx is a provocation, given that Eastern Germany's own communist experiment resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people who tried to flee from the communist east into the west before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. They also think accepting such a gift from China, which is frequently criticized for violating human rights, would send the wrong message at a time when Western liberalism isunder attack by right-wing populists and authoritarianregimes.

The council of Trier accepted the gift Monday evening, paving the way for a permanent bronze statue, erected in the city center ahead ofthe philosopher's birthday 200 years ago in May next year.

It is a decision that is likely to surprise those who witnessed the early days after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Across Eastern Europe, statues of communist heroes such as Marx and Vladimir Lenin were toppledduring the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union.In 2014, during the Ukraine conflict, more than 200 remaining Lenin statues were destroyed within days in an expression of anger toward the Kremlin.

Although Lenin statues have long beenhard to find in Germany, a number of Marx monuments continue to surprise visitors in cities such as Berlin and Chemnitz in east Germany. The latter used to be called "Karl Marx City" until one year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, when officials decided it was time for Marx to assume a more subtle role.

Chemnitz's Marx statue was nottaken down, though,and it has once again become the city's landmark its head alone being 23 feet tall. In Trier, the Marx monument will probablybe much smaller.

City officials refrained from making a final decision on its height Monday evening, probably making it the city's next talking point. Some think that a tall statue standing on a plinth overlooking tourists and city residentswouldimply Marx's intellectual incontestability, whereas in reality his theories remain contentious in Germany. Critics want the Chinese statue of Marx to be of real-life height so that tourists can confront the communist theorist eye to eye.

"Take him down from the plinth," one resident told a German radio station. "I like that compromise -- [Marx being] on an equal footing [with everyone]."

Read more:

What toppled Lenin statues tell us about Ukraines crisis

A giant Lenin head was unearthed in Germany

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China keeps buying Karl Marx statues for Germany to celebrate communism. Not all want to join the party. - Washington Post

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TheSouth China Morning Postreports that Education Minister Chen Baosheng wants to make Communist ideology trendy and fashionable again:

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When we investigate at colleges and universities, we find that attention levels at thought and political theory classes are not high. People are there in body but not in spirit, Chen said.

Why is this? The content does not suit their needs. Perhaps the approach is outdated, the tools are rather crude and the packaging is not that fashionable.

Students needed to be led by the core values of Chinese socialism to ensure their healthy moral growth. They should also study traditional Chinese culture, revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture, Chen said.

It is probably going to take a little more than some hip-hop music and a stack of Che Guevara T-shirts to get Chinese youth interested in studying advanced socialist culture to ensure their healthy moral growth, especially since the Internet keeps showing them glimpses of the world outside Chinas totalitarian ideological boundaries. It may or may not comfort Chen to know that left-wing academics in the West also complain that communisms biggest problem is poor packaging.

The Internet must be one of the major driving forces behind the cultural and ideological insecurity of Chinas elites, which is very encouraging. The SCMP article reads like a totalitarian nightmare, but it is good news that the Communist Party is so worried about losing its grip on the next generation. Under President Xi Jinping, the Party has been cracking down on organized religion for similar reasons.

Beijing is worried about people who make subversion look cool, as Korean-born, American-educated provocateur Kwon Pyonglearned the hard way last September. Kwons social media hijinks culminated in a selfie that featured a T-shirt comparing Chinese President Xi Jinping to Adolf Hitler.

In theory, few Chinese should have been able to read his Facebook and Twitter posts dedicated to overturning communism, because the Internet is locked down so tightly in China. The government nevertheless arrested him, put him on trial for subversion, failed to inform his defense attorneys which of his posts slander and insulted state power and the socialist system, and then forced his defense lawyers out of the case with an impossible paperwork demand, just to make sure Kwons fair trial ends with the necessary conviction.

Kwons former attorney Zhang Lei put the case in perspective for theNew York Times:

Mr. Kwon embodies a phenomenon that worries the Chinese government: young people, exposed to foreign ideas, sometimes through study abroad, who feel free to criticize the government, perhaps navely believing that they wont get into serious trouble, Mr. Liang said.

Hes from a younger generation thats absorbed ideas about democracy and freedom, he said. They have a clearer spirit of opposition.

To treat Kwon Pyongs online criticism of President Xi Jinping and the one-party state as a national security threat highlights the Communist Partys insecurity about commentary that does not accept the Partys monopoly on power, said Freedom House Executive Vice President Daniel Calingaert, protesting his arrest. Maybe Kwon will be sentenced to help the Education Minister develop a hip and cool curriculum for selling Communism to the kids.

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China Orders Universities to Make Communism Cool Again - Breitbart News