The following post by Chinese economist Hang Zhiguo (韩志国), was deleted from Sina Weibo sometime before 3:23pm today, July 20, 2012. The post, made way back on August 23, 2011, draws three fundamental lessons from the fall of “tyrannical regimes” in the Middle East and North Africa — the so-called “Arab Spring” of 2010-2011. It was presumably deleted in the midst of intensified discussion on Chinese social media following China’s United Nations Security Council veto of proposed sanctions against Syria. Hang Zhiguo currently has just under four million followers, according to numbers from Sina Weibo. [More on deleted posts at the WeiboScope Search, by the Journalism and Media Studies Centre].
[Three Warnings from the Collapse of Tyrannical Rule] 1. Do not over-estimate one’s own ability. When Saddam [Hussein] was in power, he received 100 percent of the vote in every election, but with the collapse [of his regime] he could only hide out in a rat hole. 2. Never trust in the loyalty of your dogs. The underlings of Saddam, Mubarak and Gaddafi were all trusted followers, but they all scattered before the tree even fell. 3. Do not underestimate the force of the people. It is difficult to maintain public opinion in the midst of intense repression, and the demands of the people cannot be deceived, disrespected or neglected!
The original Chinese post follows:
【 独裁统治崩盘的三大警示 】 1、不要高估自己的能量。萨达姆在位时,每次选举得票率都是100%,但一朝崩溃,只有钻老鼠洞的份。2、不要相信走狗的忠诚。萨达姆、穆巴拉克、卡扎菲的手下都是亲信,但树还没倒就猢狲已散。3、不要轻视民众的力量。高压手段难抵民心民意,民众的诉求不可欺不可辱不可怠！
NOTE: All posts to The Anti-Social List are listed as “permission denied” in the Sina Weibo API, which means they were deleted by Weibo managers, not by users themselves.
