http://www.smh.com.au/world/maoists-rally-to-fallen-chinese-leader-20120522-1z35u.html
Maoists rally to fallen Chinese leader John Garnaut, Beijing May 23, 2012 a.. Bo Xilai. Photo: Reuters CHINA'S Maoists have rallied behind their fallen political hero, Bo Xilai, accusing authorities of fabricating a case against him and exposing China to the risk of disintegration. Six weeks after Mr Bo was suspended from the Politburo for ''serious discipline violations'', the leftist association Utopia sent a statement to global media defiantly calling for the former Chongqing party chief to be rehabilitated. ''Utopia believes Bo and Wang are the biggest cases of political injustice since [post-Mao Zedong] opening and reform,'' said Utopia, referring to Mr Bo's former police chief, Wang Lijun, who apparently fled for his life to a US diplomatic mission and is likely to face treason charges soon. Utopia's website was shut down soon after Mr Bo's downfall, accused of slandering party leaders. Its statement blasted authorities for ''evil measures'' including fabricating allegations of criminality against Mr Bo. ''Thus it might be used by the domestic traitorous forces who collaborate with Western hostile forces to foment social chaos, split China into pieces and bring it to the abyss,'' it said. Analysts believe China's leaders forged a consensus early last month to limit fallout from Mr Bo's case, agreeing not to punish his supporters and also to steer clear of debate over the Maoist ideology he represented. ''They have reached a consensus that the Bo case needs to be wrapped up quickly, to stop the bleeding, and treated as a criminal case to limit the political impact,'' Huang Jing, a China politics expert at the National University of Singapore, said. That consensus has patched over immediate differences but left a lingering disquiet about a lack of direction while social, economic and political problems are accumulating. While many on the left of Chinese politics are angry at Mr Bo's fall, others on the right are disappointed that leaders have not taken the opportunity to resuscitate hopes of political reform. Premier Wen Jiabao's strident call for reform on March 14 ''was followed by no one'', said Chen Ziming, an independent political analyst in Beijing. ''It's time for China to change, but it hasn't for a long time. ''This is why [the current situation in] China is called the Brezhnev era,'' Mr Chen added, referring to the Soviet Union's long period of apparent stability and strength which was followed by collapse. Officials alleged Mr Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, was involved in the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood following a dispute over money. Mr Bo is expected to distance himself from Ms Gu. The Japanese tabloid Yukan Fuji recently reported a highly unusual meeting between Mr Bo, in custody, and a business acquaintance, Keisuke Udagawa. It said the meeting took place after investigators had asked Mr Udagawa to corroborate Mr Bo's claims about a strained marriage, including that he had discussed divorce in 2000. Most observers have dismissed the Japanese report as a fabrication. But a well-placed Chinese security official told The Age yesterday it was ''quite possible'' that Mr Udagawa had met Mr Bo to ''assist the investigation''. The report affirmed a belief among Mr Bo's supporters that he was a martyr for the socialist cause. ''I cracked down hard on corruption and criminal practices while I was the party secretary of Chongqing,'' Mr Bo reportedly told Mr Udagawa over a meal in the company of intelligence officials. ''Some people hated me for this. They used their remaining power to get back at me on account of my wife. I was framed.'' Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/maoists-rally-to-fallen-chinese-leader-20120522-1z35u.html#ixzz1vkAn4RtM [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
