The run-up to elections has seen what the Telegraph reporter described as carnival spirit with the people bursting fire-crackers. The drum beat accompanying the cracker’s loud noise was in synch with the heart beat of the people who were witnessing history happen before their very eyes.  

In a display of defiance not known to rural China, particularly semi-urban settlements, the villagers erected barricades and pledged to defend their community at any cost. The provincial officials could have put down the ‘rebellion’ with the usual iron hand but for the fear of ‘copy cat revolts’ across South China, which is home to the country’s industrial base. With economy in the slow down phase, any small flare can lead to a blow out.  This was the message delivered by Zhou Yongkang, China’s security chief. He told the authorities in Beijing that the officials should deal with complaints promptly to "remove" sources of potential conflict.

So left with little choice, the CCP officials have tried to win over the people with several incentives. One of these lollypops was the ‘freedom’ to elect their own party official. It is this offer that has paved the way for Feb 1 election in Wukan.

Understandably, the People’s Daily, has seen the ‘cooling of tempers’ differently. Complimenting the Guangdong provincial leadership for their ‘calm handling’ of Wukan situation, the Communist Party mouth piece said the way the situation was managed has become a model for others confronting ‘the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of other protests that occur in China each year’.

Well, it is making a virtue of necessity. But the Wukan development highlights the cancer of corruption that has come to grip the country which loved to live behind an iron curtain all these years. It also underscores the significance of President Hu Jintao’s order to the party to fight corruption. The warning delivered on Monday, January 9 (2012) at CCP’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, asked leaders to fight harder against corruption and be more disciplined.

“The fight against corruption remains severe and the task is still arduous. We need to intensify supervision and discipline, let public supervision play a positive role and rigorously enforce the party’s rules”, the Chinese president said.

Put differently, for the next generation of leaders, a "new face and new image" is the survival mantra. Certainly, after the truly democratic way Wukan people have gone about preparing for their election.  They kick-started the work by head count. After the ‘census’, the people were asked to submit nominations with supporting signatures. The final eleven for the ballot were selected out of these lists. The winners will organise on March 1 the election for a village chief and his village council.
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Will Wukan saga have a domino effect? We doubt. In fact there is reason to believe that it will not make any waves beyond the usual headlines in the short run. Because the ‘alert’ party officials will go the extra mile to be nice and gentle till at least the new leadership is in place in Beijing next year. Already Wukan is experiencing the pampering.