Speech for Receiving 2009 Writers in Prison Award

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By David Tsui (Xu Zerong)

Distinguished guests and ICPC members
How do you do! I am the recipient of 4th Writers in Prison Award in 2009. When it was awarded I was still in prison, unable to personally receiving the award. Today I am very much honored and pleased to take it personally and give a speech. Thank ICPC for your profound kindness.

I was imprisoned for a decade and one year, where I did not have to do labor work for 7 years. Therefore, I did not need to find some spare time but got a lot of time for writing. For 9 years and so (while I was not permitted to access to any pen and paper for the first and half year), I have completed the manuscripts of four books, including a selection of essays, a technical and economic discourse, the first volume of autobiography, and a thesis “The Original Wrongs of Marxism in Theory and Practice (1859-2009)”, as well as 12 volumes of my diary, and 10 pieces of classical poetry. Devotedly writing in prison has made me truly realize “the ultimate human freedom”, summed up by Victor Frankel, an Austrian psychologist who had been held in Nazi concentration camps for many years. Thus, I firmly believe that: writing is not only the yeast for mankind to develop the practical, theoretical and aesthetical cognitions, but also a trump to overcome fear, imprisonment and isolation. Someone advised me, if the manuscripts would be confiscated, would the writing be useless? I replied: “after being written there will be 50% of hope to bring them out, otherwise there will not be even 1% at all. To write is better than not to do it at all.” Finally, without my struggle for it, the authorities have allowed me to bring out the manuscripts me except for my diary. But I believe that they can be retrieved in a few decades.

“The Original Wrongs of Marxism in Theory and Practice (1859-2009)” is not a criticism in traditional sense but falsificationism in scientific sense, that is, falsification through internal reasons and external evidences. Empirical science recognizes only, “the experimental evidence and logical reasoning is the only conjugate criteria to test the truth.” Marx’s empirical science been wrong since its origin, not a failure because of social changes. Marxist philosophy was long given up by himself as he declared, because empirical science is the paradigm breaking falsification against the imaginary philosophy. In view of this, I now believe that political reform in contemporary China should change the order of its programs: abandoning Marxism, abolishing state ownership and restraining “relationship” should be placed before establishing constitutional legislation, promoting universal suffrage, and lifting party ban. Building a society of citizens before a civil society has also been the order of political developments in Western Europe and North America. It is obvious that the domination of Marxism hindered the development of a society of citizens more than the domination of Confucianism.

For the eleven years of concerns and supports by various communities, I would like to take this opportunity to express my eternal gratitude. I have also “A Letter of Thanks for My Release from Prison” to be distributed through Internet.

Long live the writing for justice!