POPULAR BASIS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21603, 4 January 1945, Page 6

POPULAR BASIS

CHINA SUFFRAGE BIG 1945~PR0JECTS VICTORY X PRIORITY CHUNGKING. Jan. 2. Marshal Chiang Kai-Shek, in a special New Year message to the nation, promised the Chinese people a Constitutional Government before the end of the war, instead of within one year of the conclusion of hostilities. “We must prepare for convening a People’s Congress within 1945.” he said. “I am ready immediately to propose to the Kuomintang Central Executive that as soon as the military situation becomes so stabilised as to enable us to launch a counter-offensive with greater assurance of victory, we should convene a congress to adopt a constitution which will enable the Kuomintang to transfer the power of the Government to the people.

“Therefore, we must this year employ our entire strength to beat, back the enemy, and also to introduce constitutional Government with the entire nation solidly bound together. Marshal Chiang Kai-Shek said that first the Mukden incident of 1931. and then the outbreak of full war in 1937 prevented the introduction of constitutional Government, but through nearly eight years of armed resistance Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s principles had sunk into the hearts of the people generally. The sense of civil responsibility was much heightened, and accordingly.- lie felt that it was not necessary to await the end of the war to call the congress together. First emphasis of China s 1945 efforts must be placed on military affairs, for the redemption of past failures and the speeding-up of victory. All political and economic programmes must be adopted to military needs. , . The marshal urged the Chinese people to work harder, and give much more to the . war. Tho enemy bad taken advantage of Allied pre-occupa-tion in Europe to drive boldly into China’s interior, hoping to knock out the Chinese striking power, but the foundation of China’s war effort was in no way shaken. _____