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SCMP Reporter

Deng ally Ren Zhongyi, who has died at 92, was known for his openness

Communist Party elder and reformist Ren Zhongyi , who pushed for the opening of Guangdong and, in retirement, spoke out against shortcomings in the party  until he was gagged last year, died on Tuesday aged 92. He was suffering from stomach cancer.

Xiao Weibin , the former editor-in-chief of the liberal Tong Zhou Gong Jin magazine, said: 'He was at the vanguard of the reform and opening drive and got Deng Xiaoping's  support, but faced a lot of pressure.'

Ren joined the party at age 23. He  was sent to the  countryside during the Cultural Revolution.

In 1981, a year after the Hebei  native  arrived in Guangdong as party secretary, he was summoned to Beijing to hear critics of the reform and opening-up policy. But he resisted calls to slow down changes.

Smuggling scandals in the province's special economic zones later threatened to derail the policy, but Ren persuaded Deng to allow Guangdong to continue the experiment.

Guo Weiqing , a professor at the Sun Yat-sen University School of Government in Guangzhou, said Ren's work laid the foundations for Guangdong's economic development.

'His tenure coincided with a very crucial period in Guangdong's opening up - finding ways to use policies to enable Guangdong to take off faster,' Professor Guo said.

He said Ren was one of the most prestigious of Guangdong's leaders. He left a deep impression on the public  and intellectuals because of his openness and his efforts to restructure the government and change its function so that it could tackle social problems.

'After he retired, he remained active and spoke out fearlessly on many issues,' Professor Guo said.

Ren's last thoughts on political reform, which he wanted to leave as his legacy, led to Mr Xiao being fired after he authorised their publication in Tong Zhou Gong Jin.

Ren, who was an adviser to the magazine at the time, wrote that political reform lagged behind economic development because leaders feared more openness would lead to social disorder. He also criticised censorship of the media and the internet.

'When he gave [the document] to me, he said, 'I've gone through this article over and over again. If people still want to 'look for bones in an egg' [find fault], let them do it. I can't be bothered any more',' Mr Xiao said.

'Those were his most complete thoughts on political reform and what he most wanted to express. I saw him several times after that but he did not talk about the article. He only asked how I was.'

Nobody criticised Ren directly, but he stopped speaking out. Nevertheless, he continued to be present in politically sensitive places. He attended former party secretary Zhao Ziyang's  funeral in January and his request that the tragedy of the Cultural Revolution not be repeated is on display at a museum commemorating the decade-long catastrophe, which  opened  in Shantou this year.

Ren and a group of elders also interceded with President Hu Jintao  to secure the release of former Southern Metropolis News editor-in-chief Cheng Yizhong , who was detained for publishing an article that irked the Guangdong leadership.

'He is an old revolutionary. He is very patriotic. No [existing leaders] can measure up to him and yet they didn't allow him to speak out sincerely,' said Mr Xiao, who last saw Ren in August.

'He sought the good of the party, country and people. He was not against the party. Why wasn't he allowed to speak?'

Ren was already ailing in August, but clear-headed and full of humour. He derided the notion that stability came above  everything because in the end stability itself would be suppressed.

Yesterday, all local media reported his death and ran coverage of his life and achievements.



Fearless reformist who spurred Guangdong's rise