Local government and the suppression of popular resistance in China

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Author: Yongshun Cai
Publisher: China Quarterly, 2008, Vol.193 (24-42)

Local governments are responsible for dealing with many of the instances of resistance in China, and an important mode of response which they use is suppression. This article examines the rationale behind local governments’ use of this mode of response. It shows that Chinese citizens who stage resistance are in a weak legal position because their actions often violate the law or government regulations. Given local governments’ discretion in interpreting citizens’ action, suppression becomes the option when concessions are difficult to make and citizen resistance threatens social stability, policy implementation or local officials’ images. However, suppression has not stopped popular resistance, and it remains a channel through which citizens defend or pursue their legitimate rights in China.

Penggunaan tekanan oleh pemerintah lokal terhadap resitensi rakyat di Cina

Pemerintah lokal di negara Cina bertanggung jawab untuk menghadapi berbagai jenis resistensi yang terjadi di negara tersebut, dan jenis respon penting yang mereka pergunakan untuk menghadapi resistensi tersebut adalah tekanan (supresi). Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk menguji rasional di balik penggunaan jenis respon pemerintah lokal, dalam hal ini tekanan kepada rakyat. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa warga negara Cina yang menunjukkan resistensi terhadap pemerintah memiliki kedudukan hukum yang lemah karena tindakan-tindakan yang mereka lakukan sering dianggap melanggar hukum atau regulasi pemerintah. Karena pemerintah lokal memiliki diskresi di dalam menafsirkan tindakan warga, maka supresi menjadi opsi yang diambil jika konsesi sulit untuk dibuat dan resistensi warga mengancam stabilitas sosial, implementasi kebijakan atau citra-citra pejabat lokal. Akan tetapi, tekanan yang dilakukan belum mampu menghambat resistensi rakyat, dan tetap menjadi alat bagi rakyat Cina untuk mempertahankan dan memperjuangkan legitimasi hak-hak mereka.

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