The Deng legacy

BEIJING – The architect of China’s dramatic economic reforms.

A benevolent leader who rehabilitated millions purged in the chaotic 1966-76 Cultural Revolution. A military genius.An avid bridge player.A family man.State media have heaped praise on late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping in the run-up to yesterday’s 100th anniversary of his birth – a reminder to China’s 1,3 billion people that they owe their rising prosperity to Deng and to the Communist Party, which has monopolised power since 1949.A flood of new books, editorial paeans and television specials make no mention of Deng’s gaffes.But ex-premier Li Peng raised eyebrows with a rare essay published last week in an official magazine, fingering Deng for the decision to send in the army to crush the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests.The diminutive Deng died in 1997 aged 92 after freeing China from the shackles of communist central planning of the economy and memorably proclaiming that “to get rich is glorious”.It is this policy that the propaganda machine has chosen to remember by ensuring Deng makes a media splash, praising him for ending the excesses of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution when industry, education, law and order came to a virtual halt.”The Communist Party hopes singing the praises of Deng will make the people forget about its mistakes yesterday and its problems today,” said Jin Zhong, a Hong Kong-based China expert.”It’s to deviate attention away from corruption, the widening gap between rich and poor, and social injustice,” Jin said.State media are pumping out stories about Deng, his life, his achievements and the dramatic impact of the policy of “reform and opening up” he launched after Mao’s death in 1976.Party officials are called away from their work to attend political study sessions and watch a new film on Deng.To ensure they too are seen as reformists in the Deng mould, party leaders have streamed to a Beijing exhibition on his life.The daily diet of Deng is not without a contemporary political angle.His youngest daughter, Deng Rong, praised her father for his decision to retire from politics, abolishing the practice of party leaders clinging to power until death.The only post he held for life was head of the China Bridge Association.”Abolishing the lifelong system… was one of Deng Xiaoping’s greatest contributions to China in the 20th century,” she told a magazine.Some analysts saw that as a hint to retired president and party chief Jiang Zemin (77) to follow in Deng’s footsteps and retire in September from his last remaining post as chairman of the Central Military Commission.Deng kept the top military job for two years until 1989, after stepping down from the party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee.Jiang would outlast Deng if he holds on to the chairmanship of the commission after September.The party’s elite 198-member Central Committee holds its fourth plenum next month with all eyes on whether Jiang completes the succession by handing over to Hu Jintao.Jiang is jostling to retain power against the 61-year-old Hu, who replaced him as party chief in 2002 and as president in 2003.Deng may be a hero on his centenary.Whether he remains one in a system in which leaders can be airbrushed out of history is another question.Analysts saw the Li Peng essay as an attempt by the man known as the ‘Butcher of Beijing’ to wash his hands of the decision and clear his name.He declared martial law days before troops backed by tanks killed hundreds of unarmed protesters on June 3 and 4.”All the important policy decisions were made by Deng Xiaoping,” dissident political commentator Liu Xiaobo said.”Li Peng was just the implementer.”- Nampa-ReutersA military genius.An avid bridge player.A family man.State media have heaped praise on late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping in the run-up to yesterday’s 100th anniversary of his birth – a reminder to China’s 1,3 billion people that they owe their rising prosperity to Deng and to the Communist Party, which has monopolised power since 1949.A flood of new books, editorial paeans and television specials make no mention of Deng’s gaffes.But ex-premier Li Peng raised eyebrows with a rare essay published last week in an official magazine, fingering Deng for the decision to send in the army to crush the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests.The diminutive Deng died in 1997 aged 92 after freeing China from the shackles of communist central planning of the economy and memorably proclaiming that “to get rich is glorious”.It is this policy that the propaganda machine has chosen to remember by ensuring Deng makes a media splash, praising him for ending the excesses of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution when industry, education, law and order came to a virtual halt.”The Communist Party hopes singing the praises of Deng will make the people forget about its mistakes yesterday and its problems today,” said Jin Zhong, a Hong Kong-based China expert.”It’s to deviate attention away from corruption, the widening gap between rich and poor, and social injustice,” Jin said.State media are pumping out stories about Deng, his life, his achievements and the dramatic impact of the policy of “reform and opening up” he launched after Mao’s death in 1976.Party officials are called away from their work to attend political study sessions and watch a new film on Deng.To ensure they too are seen as reformists in the Deng mould, party leaders have streamed to a Beijing exhibition on his life.The daily diet of Deng is not without a contemporary political angle.His youngest daughter, Deng Rong, praised her father for his decision to retire from politics, abolishing the practice of party leaders clinging to power until death.The only post he held for life was head of the China Bridge Association.”Abolishing the lifelong system… was one of Deng Xiaoping’s greatest contributions to China in the 20th century,” she told a magazine.Some analysts saw that as a hint to retired president and party chief Jiang Zemin (77) to follow in Deng’s footsteps and retire in September from his last remaining post as chairman of the Central Military Commission.Deng kept the top military job for two years until 1989, after stepping down from the party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee.Jiang would outlast Deng if he holds on to the chairmanship of the commission after September.The party’s elite 198-member Central Committee holds its fourth plenum next month with all eyes on whether Jiang completes the succession by handing over to Hu Jintao.Jiang is jostling to retain power against the 61-year-old Hu, who replaced him as party chief in 2002 and as president in 2003.Deng may be a hero on his centenary.Whether he remains one in a system in which leaders can be airbrushed out of history is another question.Analysts saw the Li Peng essay as an attempt by the man known as the ‘Butcher of Beijing’ to wash his hands of the decision and clear his name.He declared martial law days before troops backed by tanks killed hundreds of unarmed protesters on June 3 and 4.”All the important policy decisions were made by Deng Xiaoping,” dissident political commentator Liu Xiaobo said.”Li Peng was just the implementer.”- Nampa-Reuters