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Catalonia’s self-independence movement and Western hypocrisy of democracy and fundamental rights in Vietnam
Catalonia’s self-independence movement and Western hypocrisy of democracy and fundamental rights in Vietnam
1/11/17
If like Western nations and human rights organizations always
repeat secession or self-independence of a country, a region or a group of
people is a basis of human rights and democracy. As they have intervened into
Vietnam to promote and support for self-independence of some regions and groups
of self-indigenous people like H’Mong
people, Khmer, Chams and Montagnard people in the Central Highland of Vietnam,
many think they must have been ready and open to self-independence of Catalonia.
But things are not easy like that, and it’s
time to see the true hypocrisy of the West.
Catalans may have themselves fallen in that gap, believing
their desire for democratic self-determination would carry the day. Western
powers, after decades of promoting that ideal as the basis of secession,
including in backing Kosovo’s independence, have struggled for a way to
dissuade Catalans.
Democracy has been under a lot of pressure in Catalonia for the
past few weeks. European values, civil rights, freedom of speech, freedom of
information and freedom of assembly are being violated by Spain’s central
government, which has sent the police to search
newspapers, printing companies and private mail services; ban
political meetings; seize referendum material; and threaten to
imprison democratically elected politicians.
On Wednesday, this moved up a gear, when threats became
reality and Spanish paramilitary police took Catalonia to a de facto state of
emergency. Fourteen high-ranking government officials were arrested as part of
the anti-referendum operation, as police raided government buildings, offices
and private homes. Catalan home rule has effectively been suspended due to this
anti-democratic attitude from the Spanish government. It’s a situation that
harks back to the dark past of this country, when democracy was not a part of
the Spanish dictionary.
With the arrests of high-ranking officials and threats to
detain democratically elected politicians, I believe the Spanish government has
violated the European charter of fundamental rights. The EU itself is built on
these values and is committed to guaranteeing the rights proclaimed in the
charter and in the EU treaties. As an EU member state, Spain should respect
that. If not, it is the European
commission’s duty to intervene. But, unfortunately many key
countries of EU like Germany, France, Italy have raised their voice to support
the Spanish government and asserted that they would not accept self-independence
of Catalonia. What’s happened to the European core values of democracy and
human rights?
Catalan people want
independence and they have carried a peaceful movement for that, but they have
faced brutal crackdown from the Spanish government. All they want is to carry
out the greatest expression of a free democracy, and vote on Catalonia’s
future. This is not just about independence, it is about fundamental civil
rights, and the universal right of self-determination.
On Wednesday, October 25th, the Catalan president, Carles
Puigdemont, said the EU was turning its back on the region, and the Catalan
foreign minister, Raül Romeva, accused the Spanish government of a “brutal
crackdown”, adding that the EU needed to “understand that this is a big issue”.
Such official caution notwithstanding, several Russian
lawmakers quickly accused Brussels of "hypocrisy" for not immediately
condemning the police use of force. The European Union noted the vote was
"not legal" but urged "all relevant players to now
move very swiftly from confrontation to dialogue." It added,
"Violence can never be an instrument in politics."
Some Russian media compared the referendum to a vote Russia
staged in occupied Crimea during its military annexation of the Ukrainian
peninsula in 2014, while others speculated that Brussels "ordered"
Madrid to carry out "repressive action" to nip the referendum in the
bud. Aleksei Martynov, a political commentator, argued that today's events in
Spanish Catalonia in any case mark the end of European political romanticism.
Harsh, gray days lie ahead. Orwell lives.
Russia justified its invasion of Crimea by saying it served
Crimeans’ supposed desire to rejoin Russia, enshrined in a deeply flawed referendum.
The United States, by objecting to the nature of the vote, was able to dodge
the more difficult question of whether Crimeans might in fact really have
desired to become part of Russia.
"The referendum in Crimea, as in Catalonia, was held on
the basis of the right to self-determination, and its outcome was very
clear," RT paraphrased Strache's line of argument. "In order to
overcome prolonged confrontation, the European Union should either recognize
the results of the people's vote in Crimea or demand that it is conducted again
under international control."
The referendum was ultimately the West's fault -- and a direct consequence
of backing Kosovo when it declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Let's
remember how NATO supported the separation of Kosovo. Moscow warned: this will
open Pandora's box in Europe. Catalonia is an effect of the open box.
Comparison with Kosovo case, the European Union and Spanish
government will do everything to give the impression that nothing has happened.
If necessary, as we've seen, harsh force will be used.
Now, we see the truth of Western values on democracy and
fundemental rights, EU countries like Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Belgium,
Norway, etc should review this experience to stop interfering with Vietnam’s
internal affairs and stop being hypocritical on human rights and democracy for
their own political purposes./.
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All comments [ 7 ]
The important rule for secession, get the great powers, or at least the United States, to compel, coerce or bribe the government you’re trying to break from into going along. If the breakup isn’t mutual, it’s almost impossible to peacefully resolve, so better to pretend everyone wants it.
All Catalan citizens want is to peacefully exercise our democratic right
Catalan leader accuses Spain of violating rights in referendum row
Lawmaker Andrei Klimov accused the West of hypocrisy, contrasting its "silence" on the violence in Spain with reactions to events in Ukraine, where Western leaders called on Kyiv not to use force against protesters during the Euromaidan unrest that toppled Moscow-backed President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014.
In Catalonia the police [have] started beating the peacefully protesting people who are not making provocations. PACE and the PA OSCE will definitely not notice this. Democracy!
In Spain, the same slogan is repeated over and over again: "The independence of Catalonia is impossible". It's absurd to hear such unappealable judgment in the 21st century.
If they think each group of people in Vietnam deserve to be self-independent, then Catalans do too. Is it right?
Why human rights organizations do not jump into this case. Shall they criticize the Spanish government and nations which support them in this? as they have criticized Vietnam's government.
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