Beijing must come clean on Bo scandal to regain standing
The Bo Xilai probe is continuing. The whole saga is a disgrace both internationally and within the country. How could something like this happen in the first place, and how could it have been handled like that in this age? Even at this juncture, I can safely predict that the one that will suffer the most damage in the end is the Chinese Communist Party.
The authorities want to portray this as a simple murder arising from commercial conflicts between Bo's wife and Neil Heywood. But that doesn't explain why the former police chief barged into the US consulate office in Chengdu apparently seeking political asylum. And how could Heywood, rumoured to be a British spy, have been so active in the inner circle of a high-ranking politician and still manage to escape the supposedly watchful eyes of Chinese security? This may not be an isolated case. If so, this is alarming.
Even more alarming is the high-handed handling of the case, which to some is reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution, any resurgence of which the government has vowed to squash.
The pledge of allegiance by the military is also disquieting, and it has fed the rumour that the Bo saga is only part of a much bigger conspiracy, even a military coup.
It is not my objective to speculate here; I just want to demonstrate that smooth power succession is still a problem in China because rules are not well-established or well-recognised. On top of that, there are insufficient checks and balances, and transparency in the system, leaving plenty of room for power abuse among the hundreds of high-ranking officials that goes unchecked and unrevealed.
Why the big fuss about Bo? One reason is that he represents a drastically different policy direction that carries great popular appeal. What is wrong with redressing gross social injustice and giving people a better life? Why can't the ruling party adopt a similar line in response to the now thundering public outcry? Is the current government bent on protecting the corrupt, the rich and the vested interests at the expense of the masses? If that is the case, then what is the mandate of the party?