China's Move to End the Presidential Term Limit Could Revive Historical Dictatorship

One of the major events that took place in China recently is the constitutional amendment. The amendments involved a series of changes, which included the participation of about 3000 delegates. One of the major issues addressed included the adoption of Xi Jinping Thought, which entails the scientific approach to development and economic growth. The recognition of Communist Party leadership and the endorsement of the national supervisory commission was also part of the key changed during the amendment (Leng, 2018). However, the major aspect that caught the attention of local citizens, policy makers, and international allies was the scrapping of the presidential term limit that defined the leadership period of the president and vice-president (Kuhn, 2018). In this excerpt, I present why this move is a critical political change that will impact China's advancement from imperialistic history to a liberal and democratic state and that the country should prepare for a repeat of a historical form of dictatorship governance.

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The recent constitutional changes that took place caught my attention based on my historical knowledge regarding the democratic changes that China has achieved in recent decades. The issue remains important because at this time the country should be focusing on improving its international influence amid the increasing competition from the Western allies. The liberal reforms of the late 1980s included the setting of presidential limit. The change during that time eliminated the monarchs' dictatorship opening a new political front for China. Under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping in 1981, the Communist Party fulfilled their promise by ending the limitless form of leadership and enhanced power decentralization (Kuhn, 2018). The move led to the establishment of two five-year long periods for the president and the vice president, which also came with limited power compared to the Communist Party leader and the senior military official. Since then, the 1980s constitutional changes became important democratic symbols in China. However, the recent amendments championed by Xi's leadership occurred without much resistance, which makes me be concerned with the manner in which the cherished four-decade leadership structure was easily changed in a day.

I consider the move to remove the presidential term limit as a political process that seeks to extend the leadership of President Xi and the influence o the Communist Party. The extent to which the changes have been addressed by different media indicates how the amendments touch a significant position of China's political well-being. The reason why the Communist's leadership back in the 1980s removed the limitless form of governance was the increasing decline of democratic virtues and principles (Kuhn, 2018). In fact, the move from the struggles and suffering of Mao Zedong's leadership, which caused an economic recession, was one of the key reasons why the presidential term was limited. Although the impact of two five-year terms had not been fully realized in the country, the provision being part of the constitution provided the opportunity for the citizens to regularly exercise their power and enjoy the diversity that comes with new leadership. The imperialism in China, practiced by monarchs for a long period, had a significant effect on economic growth and social structures. A move towards a democratic and liberal form of leadership allowed the country to heal from the long-term effects of poor and dictatorial influence (Leng, 2018).

While there is no scientific guarantee of my sentiments, historical evidence and philosophical literature all indicate how such changes could pave a way to dictatorship form of leadership. Based on these scholarly analogies, I consider the move to change the constitution, which not only allows the presidents limited tenure but also gives recognition and power to the Communist Party, is a shift that could drag the country back to critical historical experiences. It is important to note that those who support the changes have argued that Xi's performance was exceptional and there was a need to allow him to stay in power. The Communist Party members have affirmed that since President Xi took power, the country has made essential progress both locally and internationally, which warrants their support for the extension of his term in office. Secondly, some political analysists such as Wu Guoguang has pointed out that the existence of the presidential term limit did not have any legal or political effect on leaders since they had the power to influence their stay in office (Kuhn, 2018). For over seven decades, no leader had accepted to retire or relinquish power on time with the exception of Hu Jintao, who was Xi's predecessor. In this case, one could critically argue that even though the provision existed, it had no significant political effect thus justifying its removal.

Although a significant number of political allies to the president have supported and justified this move, there exist several gaps that raises more questions than answers. It at all Xi's performance requires an extended period of presidential tenure, is there a formal survey that justifies and support these claims? What was the magnitude and input of public opinion regarding the amendments and how do they reflect the interests of the public? If indeed president Xi is a competent and dependable leader, does it mean that the entire Communist Party does not have another experienced and skillful political individual who can take power after Xi's tenure is over? I consider these three fundamental questions as important insights for those who support the removal of presidential terms just because Xi's performance is 'excellent' in one way or another. On the other hand, if previous leaders did not obey this clause in the constitution, does it warrant its removal or does it call for institutional empowerment to support the sovereignty of the constitution so that subsequent leaders are bound to abide by the underpinned provision? Your guess is as good as mine since the latter is more appropriate than the former.

Conclusion

In conclusion, over 3000 delegates participated in constitutional amendments in China, which led to the adoption of Xi Jinping Thought, recognition of Communist Party leadership, and the scrapping of the presidential term limit for the president and vice-president. Worth pointing out is that the Communist Party members have justified that the performance of President Xi since he took power has contributed towards essential progress both locally and internationally, which warrants their support for the extension of presidential term for the president and vice president. Therefore, I believe that there are more competent leaders in China who can advance Xi Jinping Thought of science-based economic development as opposed to amending the constitution to increase presidential term. Secondly, when leaders disobey different clauses in the constitution, which do not support their political interests, it does not mean such clauses have no value to the public's goodwill and fundamental rights.

References

Kuhn, A., 2018. Why abolishing China's presidential term limits is such a big deal. National Public Radio, Inc. Available at: https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/03/14/593155818/why-abolishing-chinas-presidential-term-limits-is-such-a-big-deal

Leng, S., 2018. China ends presidential term limit but what other changes were made to the constitution. South China Morning Post. Available at: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2136740/china-ends-presidential-term-limits-what-other-changes