MCLC: Wen promise crackdown on corruption

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: kirk (denton.2 at osu.edu)
Subject: Wen promise crackdown on corruption
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Source: The Guardian (4/15/12):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/15/wen-jiabao-bo-xilai-neil-heywoo
d-murder

Wen Jiabao promises crackdown on corruption in China
Premier's announcement of action against abuse of office follows Bo
Xilai's suspension from party over Neil Heywood murder case
By Tania Branigan in Beijing

Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has promised tougher curbs on corruption and
abuse of power, state media reported on Sunday, as officials sought to
limit the political fallout from the scandal surrounding former Chongqing
party chief Bo Xilai.

Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, and a family employee are detained on suspicion of
murdering Briton Neil Heywood. Bo has been suspended from powerful party
positions while he is investigated. Official media also hinted this
weekend that he too could face criminal charges, referring to possible
breaches of law.

In an article for Communist party journal Seeking Truth, Wen said regional
governments that allowed "important cases" of corruption or failed to act
quickly would be held responsible. He promised reforms in areas relating
to accountability and said governments should immediately investigate
problems reported by the people and the media.

The party has repeatedly pledged to step up the fight against corruption.

Analysts say Bo's case presents top leaders with a dilemma. If they reveal
only limited evidence against him, it may look as if a popular figure has
been removed for political reasons. If the accusations are too shocking,
people will ask how he could have become so powerful ­ and what other
senior leaders may have been doing.

A separate piece by Xinhua said the case was "nothing to do with political
struggle".

It warned: "In some places, there are some practices in which power and
personal favour are put above the law Š In some places, there are top
officials making decisions without seeking others' opinions and thus
violating the principle of democratic centralism. The spouses and children
of some cadres have taken advantage of their power to seek personal gains."

In other cases officials "choose the road of abusing power for personal
gains" because they cannot resist the temptations of the market economy,
it said, adding that the party never tolerated breaches of discipline or
the law, whoever was responsible.

"I think this is a very serious legitimacy crisis for the party," said
Patricia Thornton, lecturer in politics of China at the University of
Oxford. "As more details of the case come out, I think it will be very,
very difficult to sustain that."

The more thorough and far-reaching the investigation, the more it would
expose the ties of the party elite to powerful commercial interests, she
said.

Bo's case has been particularly damaging, not merely because of his
position but because he had significant grassroots support and a
reputation as someone concerned about inequality, corruption, and crime,
she added.

The South China Morning Post reported on Sunday that five inspection teams
from the Central Military Commission are investigating links between Bo
and senior officers in the Chengdu military region. He is well known for
his ties to the army.

The deputy police chief of Chongqing and head of the municipal criminal
police team have also been detained for their roles in the alleged
cover-up of the Heywood case, reports say.