Irish Pumpkin, Chinese Pumpkin
What have Xi Jinping, President of China, and Leo Varadkar, Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland got in common? Both have political visions that they recently put before their people.
On 19 Oct. China’s President Xi Jinping at his Party’s 19th Congress repeated his dream that the country will become a ‘moderately prosperous society and middle-income power’ by 2021. Within thirty years after that, it will be ‘a great modern socialist country’ that will have overtaken the USA as a world power. He promised it would lead to ‘a decent, even comfortable living for everyone in a clean environment’.
To achieve this they will have to make sacrifices, including what Westerners might see as a limitation on their human rights. However, the common good comes first.
On 14 September Leo Varadkar, at his Party’s Think-in, described his vision of a ‘Republic of Opportunity.’ Its three guiding principles are: all will have an equal opportunity to be the best person they can; every part of the country will have the opportunity to share in national recovery and prosperity; there will be second chances for all who need them.
President Xi’s call is for people to work together to develop the economy further so that all can share in its benefits. It is in line with Chinese tradition – putting society before the individual for the common good.
Leo Varadkar’s call is for the individual to use the new opportunities that will be created to share in the national prosperity.
One says we have to make sacrifices to create a Halloween pumpkin big enough for all to get a bit of and the other that we have the pumpkin but just need opportunities to get at it!