Jerry Grey

jerry_grey2002@yahoo.com.au

WESTERN media reported that Britain’s parliament on April 21 called for the government to take action to end what lawmakers described as genocide in Xinjiang region. Did the U.K. Parliament really say there’s a genocide in Xinjiang?

First of all, it’s appropriate to point out that, unlike any of the people who voted on the topic, I’ve actually been to Xinjiang, I’ve traveled extensively and seen no evidence whatsoever of anything approaching a genocide. There are high security, barbed wire fences and walls in some places. When I asked locals about the security and the restrictions, the only answer I’ve ever heard is: “It’s much safer than it used to be.” And indeed, having spent weeks on a bike traveling thousands of kilometers across the region, I can attest to the fact that it’s as safe a place as I’ve been in my life.

So, getting back to the “declaration of genocide in Xinjiang” made by the U.K. parliament, apart from my own belief that it’s wrong, let’s find some additional perspective.

There are 650 members of the House of Commons. It’s impossible to know how many of those 650 were in the House when they voted on the Xinjiang motion, but photographs and video footage of the time of the vote show an almost empty room – only six people can be seen – it’s possible there were others outside of the camera view, but certainly, there weren’t more than 20 people present at any time.

In order for anything to be passed by the House a quorum is required, this is the minimum number of MPs to establish something as being passed – that number is 40 – however, the Houses of Parliament don’t do anything as crass as count the members, there is an honor system and a quorum is assumed. So, when the 20 or less members shout “Aye” or “Nay” when asked to vote, the loudest group wins the vote. In this case, although there were only a few people in the room, they all shouted “Aye” and the vote was passed.

Looking at the MP bringing the motion to Parliament, Nusrat Munir Ul Ghani, known as Nus Ghani. In her past, she’s done some great work in children’s and women’s health charities. But she’s also worked for the BBC World Service, well renowned for their anti-China bias, and was one of the MPs recently sanctioned by China for her stance on the often alleged but as yet unproven “Uygur genocide.” What’s interesting about Ghani is that, despite being a Muslim, she’s never been on record anywhere as having been in contact with anyone inside Xinjiang.

The motion Ghani put before the House is not binding. It’s not legislation, it is purely the opinion of a backbencher. The prime minster and the House rejected a bill to accuse China of genocide just a few weeks ago.

The Inter Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an extreme rightwing multinational group, which is, according to Ghani, organized by Luke De Pulford, is the architect of this motion. They hailed it as a great success, a unanimous judgement passed on China. However, they neglected to mention in any of their releases the fact that only 23 or less were present for the vote; they also neglected to mention that it is a nonbinding motion bought by a junior minister attempting to raise awareness to her own agenda.

The “debate” and subsequent vote serve one purpose, and one purpose only: to be hoisted by its supporters as a victory whenever they want to show that they have support for their misguided efforts to smear their third-largest trading partner, China.

(The author is a U.K.-born Australian currently living in Zhongshan City, Guangdong. He is semi-retired and works as a freelance writer on China.)