Bo Xilai for President?
Bo Xilai is embraced by the Chinese public, but his naked ambition and widespread appeal clearly scare the party elite.
Named “Man of the Year” in a 2009 online poll conducted by newspaper People’s Daily, Bo Xilai is considered a rising political star in China. Following a stint as the Commerce Secretary of China; he now has the top job in the southwestern city of Chongqing, the largest China’s provincial municipality.
Bo was catapulted to fame by the success of the anti-mafia operation in Chongqing city. His popularity could pave the way for the next generation of China’s leaders to behave in a Western way, that is more open and less rigid.
Between June 2009 and February 2010, the Chongqing Public Security cracked 32,771 criminal cases and made 9,512 arrests; 65 of which results in individuals being sentenced to either death or life inprisionment.
Amongst them a group of senior officials and businessmen were arrested, including Wen Qiang, Chongqing’s former deputy police commissioner, as well as the director of Bureau of Justice. Mr Wen was accused of taking bribes over 100 million Yuan (A$15 million) and sheltering mobsters such as his sister-in-law, "the godmother of Chongqing".
This anti-corruption campaign has garnered even more publicity. It has also embarrassed parts of the political elite.
He Guoqiang (a member of the Standing Committee and former Communist Party Secretary of Chongqing) aswell as Wang Yang (the bureaucrat currently in charge of Guangdong province) both face questions about why they let Chongqing’s organised crime fester when they were in charge of Chongqing?
Critics believe that Bo is appealing directly to the public by implicitly attacking his peers, in the hope of forcing his own promotion into the nine-member Politburo standing committee （China’s most powerful decision-making group） at the next leadership reshuffle in 2012; when as many as seven of the current committee’s nine members may be replaced.
Last year, Bo took another political gamble with his "Red Culture Campaign", encouraging people to read, study and sing about Mao Zedong’s work. This campaign aroused concerns among upholders of political reform who think his campaign is reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution. As Professor Zhang Hongliang, an economist at Beijing Minzu University, rightly said: “The high praise of Bo equals criticism of other officials.”
Bo’s public battles could wry the way politics is practiced in a system dominated by back-room deals and consensus decisions.
But he has already picked up many enemies among senior politicians who dislike his high media profile and accuse him of arrogance. The Communist Party leader must be someone who knows when not to speak and when to take orders. Also，a leader needs to learn how to keep a delicate balance between getting what you want and making sure that you do not alienate too many “friends” in Beijing.
He is probably too controversial to be regarded as a candidate to become the premier, despite his popularity with the public.
There are signs Bo is aware of the dangers. At a September press conference, he snapped when asked about political ambitions. “We are here to discuss the government work report delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao,” he said.
With still more than two years before the new leadership is decided, amogst the pundits in China all eyes are already focused on which of the "fifth generation leaders" are up and which are down.It remains to be seen whether these controversies will impede Bo’s ascent up China’s political hierarchy.
Shiyu Jin holds a Bachelors of Arts (Journalism) from the University of Fudan, China. She is currently living in Sydney completing her Masters of Media Practice.
Jimmy Yang
February 18, 2012 at 3:29 pm
Yes Or No
According to some things happened recently, it has become a big question now!