By Tendar Tsering
DHARAMSHALA, March 16: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s recent comments on the urgent need for “political reform,” minus any concrete details, have failed to impress Chinese activists, foreign analysts, and Tibetans alike.
Speaking at his last major press conference at the end of the 10-day parliamentary sessions in Beijing, Wen, 69 had warned that China could face a return to the revolutionary turmoil of the Cultural Revolution in the absence of further political reform.
“New problems that have cropped up in China’s society will not be fundamentally resolved and such historical tragedies as the Cultural Revolution may happen again,” the premier told the press conference on Wednesday that was live broadcasted on Chinese state television.
Speaking to Phayul, the newly appointed spokesperson of the Dharamshala based Central Tibetan Administration, Tashi said he remained skeptical of Wen’s reform remarks coming at the flagging end of his political career.
“Wen Jiabao is making the political reformation speech at the end of his leadership tenure,” Tashi said. “It is just an effort to create a rosy picture.”
“Instead of doling out empty words, it would be good if he really puts into practice his often repeated slogan of political reform,” Tashi added.
Speaking at the ongoing Tibetan parliamentary budget session on Friday, Tibet’s de facto Prime Minister, Dr Lobsang Sangay noted the underlying “competition” for the top posts in Beijing, leading up to the transition of power in the coming months.
However, Dr Sangay noted that it is difficult to predict the actions of the Chinese government, while referring to the unceremonious firing of Bo Xilai, the populist Communist Party chief of Chongqing.
“The Chinese Communist Party’s major meeting later this year followed by next year’s congress will decide upon the final appointment of China’s new leaders,” Dr Sangay said. “There is competition for power and it is difficult to predict the changes.”
Willy Lam, a US-based China analyst dismissed Wen’s reform remarks as a personal attempt to secure his historical image and legacy.
“He still wants to speak out in favor of political reforms, even though none of his colleagues on the Politburo or its standing committee will implement them,” Lam said.
“He is concerned about his place in history, so today he was speaking in his own defense in order to leave evidence for the historical record.”
Chu Zhaogen, a researcher at the Chinese Public Policy Research Centre at Fudan university said Wen’s remarks spoke more of his personal worries than his efforts in bringing political reform.
“Premier Wen is worried that he will face unprecedented criticism when he retires,” explained Chu on a Chinese networking site. “German newspapers are already saying that the ten years of his government are “ten lost years” for Chinese reform”.
At the same press conference, Wen branded the exile Tibetan administration as a “theocratic” establishment, while decrying the ongoing wave of self-immolations inside Tibet as “radical” moves.
“The so-called Tibetan government in exile in Dharmashala in India is by nature a theocratic one, both under the direct control of the Dalai Lama or under his indirect influence,” Wen remarked.
“The purpose of it is to separate Tibet and the Tibetan inhabited areas, the four provinces from China. We have a firm position and principle on this matter,” the outgoing premiere said.
