The farewell ceremony for Zhao Ziyang, the former general secretary of the CCP, was held at Babaoshan Public Cemetery in Beijing on the morning of January 29, 2005. Xinhua News Agency only briefly reported about Zhao’s life. The report failed to mention that Zhao was premier of the State Council and former General Secretary of the CCP, or the important contributions he had made since the reform. It did, however, point out that he had made “a serious mistake” regarding the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre.

Epoch Times reporter Xin Fei interviewed Yan Jiaqi, former director of the Institute of Political Science in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He was one of Zhao’s advisors for China’s political reform. Mr. Yan Jiaqi’s comments follow:

CCP Authorities Are Indifferent

"The farewell ceremony for Zhao Ziyang has been held. As common people, we grieve and respect Zhao. However, the Beijing authority, the CCP government, gives people these impressions: The authorities ordered a state of high alert during the ceremony. The authorities were indifferent. The official evaluation of Zhao was mixed and ambiguous.”

“It reminds me of Chen Yi, who was once vice-premier and Foreign Minister. He was seriously attacked during the Cultural Revolution because of Mao Zedong. However, when he died on January 6, 1972, his farewell ceremony was held four days later. Mao Zedong was present, and Zhou Enlai made the eulogy. Mao responded quickly to Chen’s death, and there were no lengthy discussions.”

"Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao were 30 years old at that time. They worked in Gansu Province, but hoped to work in Beijing.”

"I saw how Mao Zedong treated Chen Yi. He also consoled Chen’s wife, Zhang Qian, which made Zhang feel heartened during the ruthless Cultural Revolution. She felt that Mao still had compassion.”

The Central Politburo Should Be Dismissed

Mr. Yan Jiaqi continued: "Now Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao hold so much power. One has the position equivalent to Mao Zedong's; the other has the position equivalent to Zhou Enlai's. After 33 years, they changed their entire life status. They don’t think of such a simple matter of bidding farewell to the deceased higher authority Zhao Ziyang. They are not willing to redress the Tiananmen Square Massacre. They are not willing to talk about it. They should at least have gone to Zhao’s memorial service for a look, or just to attend briefly. They did not have to give a speech, but just show some grief and express some sympathy to his family members and his children to say good-bye to Zhao Ziyang. It shouldn’t be an issue; it’s normal human emotion."

"That’s to say, at least they were once colleagues. They not only knew and were very familiar with each other, but also Zhao used to be their superior. He has passed away. No matter how he was, at least they should go attend. However they would not even do this. I think it is a problem."

"If they both think that Zhao Ziyang was not good, then they should give a public speech. There’s not any word from them, and for the last ten days or so, nobody knows what’s the matter with them. Finally the Xinhua News Agency put out a biography and still stated that Zhao Ziyang made mistakes. As the leaders of a great country like China, with 1.3 billion population, they don’t have much confidence in handling this kind of situation. Instead they are really weak."

"My opinion was that they mainly worried about the CCP Central Committee. They’d say it’s Party discipline. The Party already made the decision, so how could one go see him? In fact, even if the decision had been made, one should still be allowed to see him. As China’s leaders, even if a person is a prisoner […] in jail, the leaders should be able to see him; not to mention Zhao Ziyang, who had made great contributions to China’s reform and opening up policy. Moreover the decision regarding him is still controversial in the world and in China. Under this situation, why didn't they go to see him? I’m very concerned about this."

"They didn’t think of any appropriate way to deal with it. I feel that is a problem. I feel besides their own improper handling, it is also a system-wide problem of the CCP. For instance, it would depend on the members of the Central Politburo to make a decision to express an opinion on Zhao. This kind of system is not suitable for China. There’s not any other country like this. I believe the Central Politburo should be dismissed, should be removed."

Justice Cannot Be Suppressed

“The major effect would be inside China, especially in the CCP Politburo. Since Hu Jingtao and Wen Jiabao have shown their weaknesses and cannot boldly make the right decision, a new power struggle could easily occur in the CCP."

“For common people, they will be unhappy since Zhao Ziyang hasn’t been properly evaluated. They will remember this and break out in time. Many people view it this way. Everything should be impartial, just, fair. If there is no justice, people will remember it. Under certain conditions, this could in turn become the trigger for a massive movement.

“Now is the end of January and Qingming Festival (April 5) will come soon. Then people will think of Zhao Ziyang and will memorialize him. That is for sure. If there is no impartial evaluation and justice, people will certainly call for upholding justice. Accordingly, justice should not be suppressed."

“At present, justice has been suppressed regarding the evaluation of Zhao Ziyang; however, in the upcoming Qingming Festival, this issue will be put forward. In the next year, on Zhao’s first anniversary, it will again come up, and this will continue. That’s why the Chinese government should handle it well in the first place. Otherwise, there will be consequences, and it will be a serious problem.”

Yan Jiaqi, former director of the Institute of Political Science at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was the most influential political scholar after reform and opening up. His two major works are On Leaders and Ten-year History of the Cultural Revolution