Rumors have come out from the NPC and the CPPCC that people from China’s minority parties will be promoted to ministers in Wen Jianbao’s administration, reports the Asia Weekly.
According to the official data, there are over 30 provincial level officials who are not from the Communist Party, said the Chinese magazine, which is based in Hong Kong
A former senior official said that promoting minority party members to be ministers will challenge “the Party leading everything (ÂÖöÈ¢ÜÂغ‰∏ÄÂàá)”, a principle the Communist Party has been holding for 50 years. Since China’s ministries are governed by both the ministers and the Communist Party secretary, it’s critical who will be the final decision-maker. The reform will be insubstantial if it’s still the party secretary who will call the shots, said the former official, who the Asia Weekly interviewed.
Almost 50 years ago, right after the Communist Party took power in China, there were a few minority party members in the administration. The Minister of Industry Huang Yanpei (ȪÑÁÇéÂüπ), the Minister of Transportation Zhang Bojun (Á´†‰ºØÈíß), and the Attorney General Shi Liang (Âè≤ËâØ) were all from minority parties. But after 1957, most of them were fired. Zhang Bojun was even persecuted as China’s number one rightist (Zhang Yihe, the author of three banned books, is Zhang Bojun’s dauther).
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