Bao Tong Breaks Ban on Talking About Hu Yaobang

Follow us on TWITTER:   / cnforbiddennews   Like us on FACEBOOK:   / chinaforbiddennews   Bao Tong, political secretary of the former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary, Zhao Ziyang, surprisingly published an article recently in the Yan Huang Chun Qiu Magazine. The magazine says the former Communist Party Leader Hu Yaobang, became ill during the Political Bureau meeting in 1989—news which astonished the outside world. Bao had been silenced by the CCP since the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident, so does the publication of this article mean the ban has been lifted? What does Bao's move signify? —Let's take a look. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had given Bao Tong— the political secretary of former CCP general secretary— a 7-year prison sentence on grounds of "leaking state secrets" for supporting students during the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre. Since then, the CCP has specifically prohibited Bao Tong from publishing any articles in China. However, Bao Tong recently presented himself as a reader of the Yan Huang Chun Qiu Magazine and published the article, 'I witnessed the onset of Hu Yaobang's illness'. Bao Tong says he wanted to clarify related statements made by the former Health Secretary, Wang Minqing. In the article, Bao recalls that around 10 am on April 8, 1989, the Central Committee Political Bureau had met in the CCP central headquarters compound, Zhongnanhai. Hu Yaobang—then chairman of the CCP—had suddenly covered his chest with one hand, and waved to Zhao Ziyang, the general secretary, saying that he was not feeling good. Zhao Ziyang had hence interrupted the meeting, stopped Hu from moving, and called a doctor immediately. In the article, Bao Tong says he had been sitting 3 or 4meters away from Hu Yaobang, and Wen Jiabao had been in charge of the rescue work—Bao stresses, "these are the facts." Yet prior to this, Wang Minqing had also published an article in the Yan Huang Chun Qiu magazine, saying: "I never saw any senior leaders in charge of the rescue." [Zhu Xinxin, Original Hebei People's Radio Editor]: "The Health Secretary said no one was in command; I think someone wanted him to write this article. The article states that the general secretary, Zhao Ziyang, had not been there to direct the rescue, that no one was there— I can only think someone's trying to discredit Zhao Ziyang." Because of the sensitivity of Bao Tong's identity, his article has aroused speculations from the outside world— is Bao Tong breaking the "ban" or is the CCP trying to convey some kind of political message? Zhang Jian, an independent commentator and researcher on Chinese social problems, believes this is likely a move to appease those people who are wanting to do something within the political system and also who had been hurt by the system. Zhang says, this may be the case, as the article comes at a very sensitive time, prior to the CCP's 18th Conference. Yet the CCP has always dealt with people by suppressing them on the one hand, and roping them in on the other. [Zhang Jian]: "Because the CCP is evil, it has always feared the truth; it fears people seeking the truth. Thus the CCP must use various means to appease—a variety of ways and political capitals are exchanged for its stability, a stability which will be disrupted by something else— they are most afraid of people enlightening to the truth. On April 15, 1989, when Hu Yaobang passed away, students had mourned his death, and this eventually evolved into the "June 4th" incident. Previously, it had been said that the CCP had intended to "re-dress June 4th." Zhu Xinxin says, the CCP has always been dealing with major issues, so Bao's article may show an intention by the CCP to first create public opinion and briefings, so as to pave the way for the CCP's next move. [Zhu Xinxin]: "The CCP's upper levels are releasing information bit by bit about how to deal with June 4th and Zhao Ziyang. When the public feel relaxed about June 4th and its related figures, it would ease any sudden shocks coming from them in the near future." However, the outside world believes that the CCP has lost its qualification to re-dress June 4th; they have missed many opportunities to do so and the majority of Chinese people are feeling hopeless towards the CCP. [Zhang Jian]: "The CCP had made a concession previously that had never been done before. Some people say that the CCP is making some progress— in actuality, it's not progress, but it a move resulting from fear." Hong Kong's Ming Pao reports that, Bao's son Bao Pu thinks the CCP has never relaxed on monitoring his father. Bao Pu says, when he saw that the article had been signed by his father he had also been very surprised. 《神韵》2011世界巡演新亮点 http://www.ShenYunPerformingArts.org/