Jia Qinglin, Li Ruihuan and CPPCC

In a current affairs book published in Hong Kong, the author analyzed the difference between former and current Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) chairmen Li Ruihuan (李瑞环) and Jia Qinglin (贾庆林, pictured). The author also outlined the changes within the CPPCC under Jia's leadership.

贾庆林和李瑞环比, 还差一大截. “小木匠” 作为工人阶级和劳苦大众的重视代表, 在任政协主席那十年间, 开明务实, 协调各方, 仗义执言, 享誉海内外. 贾庆林底气不足, 虽然在政协能兢兢业业工作, 却缺乏号召力和应有的权威. (中共政局全破译, 极目 编著, 新文化图书有限公司, 2007)

("As compared to Li Ruihuan, Jia Qinglin was not as competent. Li, who was nicknamed "the little carpenter" was a pivotal representative for the working class. During the decade when Li was CPPCC chairman, he was open and dealt with concrete matters. He was a good coordinator, spoke boldly in defence of justice, and was internationally renowned. In comparison, Jia was not as able. Even though Jia was conscientious and tried his best, he lacked appeal and the needed authority.")

政协里的不同声音略有增强, 是一大亮点. 全国政协出访团组29个, 出访人员开阔了视野, 也换了脑筋. 同各级人大一样, 各级政协也有一些改革性的探索. 总体上说. 贾庆林执掌的政协是平稳的. 但平稳有些过头, 未见大的开拓. 泥沙俱下, 鱼龙混杂, 一些政协委员素质不高, 甚至有不三不四的人披上了政协常委, 委员的外衣. 丑事不断, 一盘散沙.

("One positive change within the CPPCC was the increase in alternative voices, as well as the over 29 foreign visits which had broadened the horizons of and injected new thinking within members. Similar to the various levels within the National People's Congress, the different levels within the CPPCC had also undertaken some fairly exploratory changes. Generally speaking, CPPCC under Jia's leadership was stable, but this stability had been rather extreme, and did not come with any major exploratory steps. Furthermore, the calibre of its members had been uneven, and there were even shady characters who were appointed, leading to a series of scandals, and the impression that members were not united.")

他和厦门远华大案的关系, 和赖昌星的关系, 令他忐忑不安. 本属平庸人物, 登上高层, 面对群英, 自然内心胆怯. 没有新思维, 一切按部就班, 四平八稳, 是贾庆林的缺憾. 他在十届全国政协一次会议上的得票率为百分之93,反对票和弃权票达151张. 这么多人对他是不认可的.

("Jia's links with the Xiamen Yuanhua incident, coupled with his relationship with Lai Changxing had made him nervous and fidgety. He possessed ordinary talents but yet managed to assume the highest leadership. Therefore when he encountered other talented people, it is natural for him to feel anxious and worried. Devoid of new thinking, he followed the prescribed methods of doing things so as to ensure stability. This is said to be Jia's biggest deficiency. During the first session of the 10th CPPCC, he received only 93% of the votes, with over 151 opposing and abstention votes. This is an indication that many do not approve of him.")