Wen woes 'a chance for party renewal'
By making his asset records public, premier could breathe new life into stalled proposal requiring top officials release details on personal assets
The unprecedented statement defending the family of Premier Wen Jiabao against allegations concerning their wealth was a chance for the leadership to tackle corruption that lies at the heart of the Communist Party's legitimacy crisis, political analysts say.
Wen should seize the opportunity to disclose his own and his relatives' assets, setting an example for other leaders, which would give a boost to long-stalled efforts to pass "sunshine laws" obliging senior officials to declare their assets, they said yesterday.
The New York Times said Wen family members, including his mother, wife and two children, controlled at least US$2.7 billion worth of assets, accumulated during Wen's time in office.
"Given the fact his image and that of his family are at stake, it is unlikely the lawyers' statement represents a consensus or any collective decision of the entire leadership," said Zhu Lijia, a professor from the Chinese Academy of Governance.
Zhang Lifan, a Beijing-based political analyst, said the image-conscious premier, who had always boasted a "clean" image, had no choice but to fight back.
"The Times' report has forced Wen's hand … Of course the best way to dismiss allegations is for Wen to become the first mainland leader to disclose his personal assets," Zhang said.