The rise of China's 'modern politicians'

A new breed of politicians is emerging in China, and they are more like their counterparts elsewhere than their predecessors, according to a China-watcher.
 

This is the "modern politician" who sees that his or her political security "can be derived from being connected to Chinese society", said Professor Pei Minxin of Claremont McKenna College in the United States.
 

Speaking at the FutureChina Global Forum yesterday, he noted that there is a latent legitimacy crisis that the Chinese Communist Party is facing. The party survives on its capacity to deliver economic performance, and if this performance does not meet the expectations of the people, then things are going to be different.
 

"That's why you have the rise of the modern politicians. They want to be genuinely connected with Chinese society, they want to be viewed as being a true representative of the people," he said. Professor Pei predicts that in a few years, the trend would be more highly visible.
 

Modern politicians would be among the leaders that would take over the reins in 2012 and who would be the first from the Cultural Revolution generation.
 

Not only did they come of age and were politically socialised during the 1966 to 1976 revolution, they were also the educated young people sent to the countryside as workers "so they had real experience in Chinese society", he said.
 

Although he did not mention names, one cropped up often at the session on China's rising political stars: Mr Bo Xilai.
 

The 61-year-old is party secretary of Chongqing, a municipality with a population of 31.4 million.
 

His high-profile anti-corruption drive has made him a hero among the people of Chongqing.
 

Another possible reason for the rise of the modern politician was offered by Professor Rana Mitter of Oxford University.
 

It is the advent of electronic communications, which has created a virtual public that cannot be ignored and would change the way the leadership deals with the people, he said.
 

By way of example, he recalled that Mr Bo, who studied journalism, had sent text messages last September to a large portion of Chongqing's population, encouraging them to sing revolutionary songs and use revolutionary slogans to commemorate the 1949 communist revolution.
 

Analysts have said that Mr Bo, who was commerce minister before his current appointment, is fighting his way back to the central government and possibly a position in the top leadership through his populist moves.
 

 

Courtesy of The Straits Times, 14 July 2010.