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Jiang Zemin's decision to fully implement Party policy for all nationalities and uphold and improve the regional ethnic autonomy, articulated exactly what I wanted to say, said Lalihan Shalabaike, a female Tajik nationality delegate to the 16th National Congress of Communist Party of China (CPC) and head of the Statistics Bureau of Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
It was impossible for me to believe that a minority woman like me, from a remote border region, could become a delegate to the 16th CPC National Congress and come to Beijing to discuss national affairs with leaders of the Party and state.
Before 1949, things were very backward in Xinjiang. A woman's position was rather low in my hometown, Taxkorgan. Since 1949, the Party has adopted a policy that makes all nationalities equal and allows women equal participation in social affairs. The party policy towards nationalities became more mature and the fundamental outlook of Xinjiang has been changing since China carried out reform and opening-up policy, especially since the Fourth Plenary Session of the 13th CPC Central Committee in 1989. During the reform, women have been given more opportunities to show their abilities. Now, a group of women leaders are playing constructive roles at various levels in Xinjiang. All of them are contributing to the Party.
By attending the Congress and studying the report, I have made progress in my mind and developed more clear aims. I will return to Xinjiang with the spirit of the 16th CPC National Congress and be in a better position to implement Party policies, especially policies towards ethnic groups and concerning western development. I will make my contribution to the cause of building China into a prosperous and unified country.
(china.org.cn by Zheng Guihong Novemeber 13, 2002)
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