Hu Says Western Democratic Reforms Would Lead China Into "Blind Alley"

BEIJING (AFP) - President Hu Jintao said that Western democratic reforms would lead China into a "blind alley" but he also lambasted the country`s corrupt officials.

In a major speech marking the 50th anniversary of the National People`s Congress (NPC) or parliament, Hu urged legislators to crack down harder on corruption and abuse of power.

He also reiterated the ruling Communist Party`s (CCP) belief that China was a democratic country where the people were the "master of the nation".

"Exercising power without restriction or supervision is bound to result in power abuse and corruption," Hu told a gathering at the Great Hall of the People in a 45-minute address on Wednesday.

"We must improve and strengthen the supervisory work of the people`s congresses and increase the effectiveness of their supervision," he said.

"Currently, some local governments and government departments fail to strictly abide by or implement laws. Local protectionism, power abuse and corruption have greatly impaired the image of the party and state."

Hu`s speech came ahead of a high-level meeting of the CCP Central Committee Thursday. It is expected to enact policies aimed at polishing the party`s image and implementing a more robust anti-corruption regime.

After 25 years of unfettered capitalist economic reforms, government and party officials are increasingly seen as having enriched themselves through their powers and relationships, often at the expense of ordinary people.

As Hu delivered his speech, Beijing police continued rounding up thousands of disenfranchised petitioners who are in the capital largely to complain about injustices and corruption.

Hu, long seen as still in the shadow of his predecessor Jiang Zemin, has been unable to make his personal mark on his period in office.

Yet Wednesday he urged improvements to the system of people`s congresses as a way to remedy power abuse and return political power to the people.

"The people`s congress system, established under the Communist Party, lays a political foundation for China`s socialist system and greatly mobilizes the enthusiasm of the people of all nationalities in building and administering the country," Hu said.

"The 50-year practice has fully proved that the people`s congress system, as the fundamental political system, fits China`s special conditions by embodying China`s socialist characteristics and representing Chinese people`s rights as the master of the country."

But Hu stressed that "people`s congresses at all levels and their standing committees must consciously put themselves under the party`s leadership".

The NPC is made up of congresses at the provincial, city, county and township levels and is constitutionally the state`s highest organ. In practice it acts to rubber-stamp the wishes of the communist party.

Hu said no Western democratic practices -- such as separating the powers of the executive, legislature and judiciary and multi-party and multi-candidate direct elections at the top levels of government -- would be implemented.

"History indicates that indiscriminately copying Western political systems is a blind alley for China," Hu said.

"All the political systems introduced into old China ... failed to change their nature as representative of the interests of imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat-capitalism, and the Chinese people remained in the miserable position as the oppressed, the enslaved and the exploited."