Living in harmony a mixed blessing

by Dan Ryan
Australian
March 14, 2011

https://www.legal-project.org/1196/living-in-harmony-a-mixed-blessing

Excerpt:

AUSTRALIA officially celebrates Harmony Day on March 21, but I see festivities kicked off at least a month ago.

Who knows? One day we may, like China, end up celebrating Harmony Day all year round.

Beijing is big on the idea of harmony. "Harmonious Society" is perhaps the most well-known slogan of today's Chinese Communist Party. Throughout the country banners and public announcements, many eerily similar to those used in Australia, celebrate what a harmonious place China claims it is building.

The problem is most Chinese do not think of the harmonious society as a vague synonym for peace, love and understanding. Rather, it has become a byword for censorship and suppression of dissent. Protest groups talk about being "harmonised", journalists of being subject to "harmonisation".

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