June 4th

An interesting analysis of the appraisal of the June 4th incident from a current affairs book published in Hong Kong.

“实际上，人们要求为六四平凡，主要不是要追究哪个人的责任，而是要求公道，正义，良心，客观对待历史； 盼望中共能总结六四的教训，通过改革走向新生，如台湾的国民党为二二八事件道歉而推进民主和经济腾飞一样。镇压六四的主要主要决策者已相继作古，当时的 “八老” （邓小平，陈云，李先念，杨尚昆，王震，薄一波，邓颖超，宋任穷）一个也不在了，平反六四的条件已经成熟。

“就看胡温在17届中央的五年中敢不敢实事求是了。他们不敢干，迟早有人干。平反六四是一座富矿，谁去开采它，谁就有最大的政治资本。诚然，其中埋有 “地雷”。号称坚持实事求是思想路线，曾经冲毁 “两个凡是” 的中共难道还怕 “地雷” 吗？“地雷” 早晚要排除，早引爆早平安的。” （极目 编著，中共政局全破译，新文化图书有限公司，2007）

"When people call for the reappraisal of June 4th, they are not mainly calling for certain individuals to take responsibility for the incident. Rather, they are seeking justice, righteousness, conscience, and an impartial approach towards history. They are also hoping that the Chinese Communist Party can learn from the lessons and undertake reforms. This can be compared to Taiwan's Kuomintang who had apologized for the February 28th incident. This led to the growth of democracy and rapid economic growth. The major policymakers who had made the decision to crack down on the June 4th incident have all died. The "eight seniors" (Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yun, Li Xiannian, Yang Shangkun, Wang Zhen, Bo Yibo, Deng Yinchao, Song Renqiong) are no longer around. The conditions for reappraising June 4th are ripe."

"What remains is whether the 17th administration of Hu and Wen has the courage to seek truth from facts. If they do not dare, someone else will have to do it. Reassessing June 4th is like having access to a gold mine. Whoever has the courage to excavate the mine will reap the largest political capital. Of course, there will be "landmines." But the Communist Party had often insisted upon its ideology of seeking truth from facts, and had once banished "The Two Whatevers." So why should it be afraid of "landmines"? "Landmines" must eventually be eliminated. The earlier they are ignited, the safer it will be."