A large-scale political movement took place in China right after the lunar new year holiday. The movement targeted the newest arch-enemy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chinese President Jiang Zemin
Since the Chinese government has recently decided to re-define Falun Gong from an "evil cult"
In fact, on the last day of the new year holidays, government organizations nationwide were informed that China Central Television (
Now, in response to calls from the central government, all public organs, enterprises, civil groups, the military, police, colleges and universities have started "political study" regarding the Falun Gong issue. Cities and schools have launched an "anti-Falun Gong millions of signatures campaign" while some overseas Chinese organizations have come under pressure to join the drive against the sect. The Falun Gong issue has now become headline news in China again.
I believe that this well-organized political drive launched by the CCP is the direct result of the recent self-immolation incident. Some even suspect the CCP of somehow bribing the five people to set themselves on fire in order to further discredit the sect. Since the CCP's power struggles have often been seen as diabolic, this suspicion quickly gained credence among the public, not to mention that the quick and systematic launch of the anti-Falun Gong drive right after the incident is highly suspicious.
Since the Falun Gong issue has dragged on for more than two years, it is odd that the authorities have chosen to raise it again while Beijing is going all out to win the bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games.
Everyone knows that Jiang was the initiator of the crackdown against the sect -- despite objections from other top leaders, such as Premier Zhu Rongji (
Jiang's wilful and arbitrary act has been severely challenged by the Falun Gong practitioners, who appear to have an indomitable spirit seldom seen in rebellious movements in China.
Due to this bad decision, Jiang's personal reputation has been seriously harmed. Consequently, the crackdown appears to have become a personal crusade for Jiang, who constantly acts impulsively against Falun Gong. Jiang told a Japanese delegation on June, 16, last year that "Zhu, Li, along with former Premier Li Peng (李鵬) and I myself have all vowed to crack down on the Falun Gong sect." As an old saying goes, "there is no 300 taels of silver buried here" (此地無銀三百兩) -- meaning a clumsy denial only results in self-exposure. Jiang's statement proves that the war against the sect is related to the Chinese leadership's internal power struggles.
Perhaps the struggle over what will happen at the meeting of the CCP's 16th Central Committee, which is only two years away, is the real cause of the crackdown. Establishing his personal authority is an urgent task for Jiang in order to ensure his leading role, as well as the continuance of his platform after he steps down as president at that meeting. Since he knows that to solve the "Taiwan issue" before the meeting is "mission impossible," cracking down on Falun Gong has become his only hope. Thus, whether the sect can be eradicated is directly related to his personal authority.
For Jiang, there is no turning back. There is another old saying that best describes his situation: "Xiang Zhuang performed the sword dance as a cover for his attempt on Liu Bang's life"
Although Zhu had kept silent on the Falun Gong issue for a long time, he recently claimed -- under great pressure from Jiang -- that the government must crack down on the sect. Li Ruihuan, however, has insisted he will not make any comments on the issue. Since other top Chinese leaders all realize that the issue is a thorny one, they are now closely watching Jiang's moves against the sect. As a consequence, the anti-Falun Gong movement may well be viewed as a trial balloon of China's political scene.
Wang Dan was a student leader during the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations in Beijing. He is currently a graduate student at Harvard University and a columnist for The Journalist magazine.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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