Notwithstanding strict censorship of internet and mobile phone SMS messages, a call went through inviting people to gather at 2 pm at identified points in 13 cities across China including Beijing and Shanghai. There were gatherings but no attempts to protest against the government barring some lone cases. Police took away one person for laying down white Jasmine flowers and a couple of others for shouting. No major incidents happened so far.
There is of course some concern and authorities blocked all social micro-blogs also which were increasingly being used for political networking. The popular social blog, Renren.com, is no more accessible and carrying a warning against postings on politically sensitive matters.
The fact that the latest versions of `Colour Revolutions’ in the Arab world are being discussed for taking preventive actions is a clear evidence of some concern. President Hu Jintao has called upon officials at various levels to “solve problems which might harm the harmony of society.”
A commentary in The People’s Daily (Feb 14) titled, `No, China isn’t Like Egypt’ asserted that China will never be Egypt because of several reasons, particularly its high economic growth which improved the lives of huge swathes of population. It further argued that the key to reform in China lies not in the streets, but from within the Communist Party as it has time-honoured guidelines for self-criticism and self-modification.
Another article in the Party magazine, `Study Times’ (February 12), observed that changing the leadership pattern was an important pre-requisite for changing the development pattern. It emphasized the need for `emancipating ideas’ of leading groups and cadres. It argued that complicated factors affecting policy decisions cannot be dealt with by just relying on the wisdom of the leadership itself and suggested integrating leadership with masses. It noted that there was a need to listen to the opinions of grassroots units, views of the National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Consultative conference and avoid unilateral policy decisions.
While it is very unlikely that the `Arab awakening’ would spread to China, there will be `stirrings’ in Chinese society, despite the efforts to deny access to the Internet and mobile phone messages, forcing the leadership to introduce some reforms. They cannot stop for long computer-savvy youth to network among themselves as it happened in the Arab countries.
