John Pomfret: China to Open Field in Local Elections Decision to Allow Multiple Candidates Comes During Debate Over Need for Reform

Questions about political reform were fueled by a news conference on May 30, in which a top bureaucrat denied the government had hidden the extent of the SARS outbreak and refused to praise the doctor who exposed the coverup. The bureaucrat also vociferously defended Zhang, the former health minister.


Some analysts in Beijing took the statements by Gao Qiang, the deputy health minister, as a sign that the Communist Party had returned to its traditional way of dealing with crises -- denial and deception. Editors at several state-run newspapers said the Propaganda Ministry subsequently issued circulars banning critical reports about the handling of the disease and other sensitive topics.


But there were few clear signs of a new crackdown on the media or a tightening of the political system. In the days following Gao's statements, several major newspapers criticized him and several others commended Jiang Yanyong, the retired military physician who first revealed the SARS coverup in Beijing. Gao said he didn't understand the interest in Jiang.


"We have 6 million doctors and health care workers, and Jiang Yanyong is one of them," he said.


In a news conference today, Gao seemed intimidated by the criticism, this time acknowledging that Zhang had committed many mistakes and that the decision to fire him had been correct.


Government sources and other analysts said Gao's shift masked a political struggle between Hu and Wen on one side and allies of former president Jiang on the other.


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China's press has also responded aggressively to Gao's offhanded treatment of Jiang. Since Gao's attack, Jiang's picture has been on the cover of magazines and newspapers. A larger-than-life photograph of him was displayed on newsstands around the capital, advertising this week's editions of Sanlian Life Weekly with the headline: "Jiang Yanyong: The interests of the people are more important than anything."

Yeah, well, we'll see. Once the new guys are in charge, they may well revert to the bad old ways.