overseas media on Falun Gong

Create Scientific Social Environment to Fight Falun Gong: Commentary (08/12/2001)

China should strive to create a civilized and scientific social environment to step up the fight against Falun Gong, says a commentator's article carried in today's People's Daily.

The emergence of the Falun Gong issue has in-depth social causes and a complicated political background instead of being an accidental phenomenon, the article says.

One of the major reasons for the organization of Falun Gong and its founder Li Hongzhi to be able to fan the flames of disorder is that ignorance and superstition prevail in some parts of the country, the commentary says.

Since the policies of reform and opening up were introduced two decades ago, China has scored outstanding achievements in its economy, social progress and the building of socialist ethics.

But meanwhile, various ideologies swarmed in by taking advantage of the opening environment. In some localities, sorcerers and fortune-tellers have enjoyed booming business, with some books, films and TV programs produced full of pseudo-sciences and superstitions, it says.

Some party officials, including a handful in leading positions, just shut their eyes to the phenomena, and some even participated in superstitious practices, the commentary says.

Against such a social background, it is easy to understand the urgency and importance of strengthening the building of socialist ethics to create a civilized and scientific social environment, it says.

Much work needs to be done to create a properly civilized and scientific social environment, and priority should be given to ideological work, the commentary notes.

The article stresses the importance of occupying such ideological fields as culture, education, and the press and publications. Otherwise, they will be taken over by anti-Marxism, non-Marxism and superstition, it says.

Efforts should also be made to educate officials and the public in Marxist materialism, atheism, scientific knowledge, patriotism, collectivism and socialism, the commentary says.

The commentary calls for helping the people to distinguish true science from pseudo-science, traditional culture from feudalistic dregs, and normal religious activities from fallacies preached under the cover of religion.

While furthering the crackdown on Falun Gong's illegal publications, greater efforts should be made to invigorate the cause of socialist culture and enrich the people's cultural life, it notes.

The creation of a civilized and scientific social environment is an arduous task, it says, adding that the work should be set high on the agenda of constructing socialist ethics.

The fight against Falun Gong indicates that as long as the people are mobilized, all evil ideologies will lose ground under the strong attack of public opinion, the commentary says.