John Garnaut in the Sydney Morning Herald profiles liberal economist Mao Yushi:
Mao says he has refused to take a prominent official role “because this is a terrible government”. Mao agrees with the principles of the charter and is not worried that his name has been mistakenly added to the signatory list. His point is that today’s democracy activists need some perspective. He says there is no comparison between the totalitarian state he lived under in the first half of his adult life – under the other Mao – and the China he has since experienced in the era of “opening and reform”.
“There has been big progress in political reform and [particularly] in the protection of human rights,” he says. “So many people were killed because of having different views. Every year, even every day, many, many people were killed. I estimate 50 million people were killed by the Government. Every day they killed 5000. But these days the Government even has trouble killing one person,” he says, referring to the convicted murderer Yang Jia, who became an internet hero last year after being beaten by police and later exacting revenge by killing six of them. “I lived in circumstances of fear, there was no protection at all. Now I don’t live in fear. Now the Chinese people feel safe.”
