BEIJING?China?s Communist machine on Wednesday launched a coordinated chorus of approval of the decision to oust fallen top official Bo Xilai and arrest his wife in a murder probe, likely an effort to stave off criticism from the disgraced politician?s many supporters.
Editorials and official commentaries in the state-run media said the decision to oust Bo showed the Party respected the rule of law, and encouraged people to support the move. Beijing Party members and officials announced their unanimous backing for the decision, according to the Beijing News. And the evening news broadcast on state-run CCTV showed interviews with local Party officials, academics and ?ordinary people? from provinces around the country--all expressing their unabashed support for Bo?s removal.
The staged show of unity and support seemed to belie a sense of official nervousness that Bo ? the son of a revolutionary veteran ? had become a hero to many on China?s ideological far left, and that his followers may decry his purge from the top ranks as politically motivated.
The government?s censors banned Internet search terms related to Bo?s firing, his ?Chongqing? model, the arrest of his wife Gu Kailai, and the mystery surrounding the death--now ruled a homicide--of the expatriate British businessman Neil Heywood. Hundreds of thousands of comments ? many supportive of Bo -- were erased overnight from Chinese news Web sites.
Party leaders ?are eager to pacify public opinion as soon as possible,? said Zhang Lifan, a historian. Speaking of Bo, Zhang said; ?Right now, a large number of people in China still support him, regarding him as the spiritual leader for the Maoists. Many people on the Internet still defend him. It?s possible that they will be an unstable force for China at a time when the gap between the rich and the poor is increasing.?
Many of Bo?s most prominent and normally outspoken ?new left? supporters were not answering their telephones Wednesday, and the few who did were reluctant to speak openly.
"I can?t address whether Bo Xilai is the victim of political struggle,? said Zhang Hongliang, an economics professor at Beijing?s Minzu University and a new left cheerleader for Bo. ?Although you can ask your question freely, I cannot give you my answer freely. I don't live in a vacuum. Some questions are too sensitive for me to address.?
The sense of unease was heightened by reports of an unrelated riot late Tuesday night in Chongqing, the sprawling mega-city of 30 million people where Bo served as Party Secretary until his removal from that job last month.
Witnesses said tens of thousands of people spontaneously turned out in the streets to protest that their economically struggling district, called Wansheng, was merged late last year with another, poorer district, called Qijiang, and they battled police who used pepper spray and electric batons against the crowd.
The crowds began gathering Tuesday night at least three hours before the official announcement of Bo?s removal from his remaining Communist Party positions, on the Central Committee and as member of the 25-person Politburo. The protesters were angry that some of their social welfare, health insurance and pension benefits had been reduced because of the merger with the other district. Bo, during his high-profile 4 1/2-year tenure as Chongqing Party boss, engendered popular support by addressing problems of economic disparity.
?Last night, the streets were packed with people,? said one woman, the owner of a hot pot restaurant, who was reached by telephone.
She said the protesters chanted ?We need to eat? and ?return our Wansheng? before they were dispersed. ?I saw the police beat students, children and old people,? she said. ?Many people were injured.? On Wednesday, she said, the streets were empty because of a massive police presence. Most shops and restaurants, including hers, were closed.
The restaurant owner said she had a ?good impression? of Bo, particularly because of his crackdown on gangsters.
Zhang Hongliang, the professor, said Bo ?did a great job as Party secretary. I still believe the Chongqing model is the correct way to save China.?
Washington Post researcher Zhang Jie in Beijing contributed to this report.
Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=852208dcd1a505e1cb35217a437dfa80
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