CHINA-LEADERSHIP: PUBLIC ANGER OVER WUHAN PARTY SECRETARY'S CALL TO "CARRY OUT GRATITUDE EDUCATION"
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Wang Zhonglin (王忠林), a close associate of Chinese President Xi Jinping who was appointed Party Secretary of Wuhan in February, has evoked sharp and widespread anger for his remarks during a video conference on March 6, saying it was necessary to “carry out gratitude education among the citizens of the whole city, so that they thank the General Secretary [Xi Jinping], thank the Chinese Communist Party, heed the Party, walk with the Party, and create strong positive energy. " Wang Zhonglin said in his speech that the Party must employ various forms of propaganda and education campaigns to carry out "gratitude education" among the population. The story was reported in Changjiang Daily, the official newspaper under Wuhan's Party committee and was shared widely across social media. In a post to WeChat on March 7, captioned “Have a Bit of Conscience: It's Not Time to Ask the People of Wuhan for their Thanks,” journalist Chu Zhaoxin (楚 朝 新) suggested Wang Zhonglin's timing was 'insensitive'. Chu Zhaoxin said "This is public opinion, this is reality. People who are not blind or deaf can see and hear, and those who are not blind can feel it." Chu Zhaoxin added “If this is Wang Zhonglin's idea, I think he needs to educate himself. You are a public servant, and your job is to serve the people. Now the people you serve are broken, the dead are still cold, and the tears of the living have not yet dried. The sick have not yet recovered, and much of their dissatisfaction is completely reasonable. Rather than blaming the people in Wuhan you serve for not being grateful, you should reflect and be ashamed because you and your team are not working properly. " The post was removed by late night on March 7.
(Comment: News of the remarks came less than a day after video emerged online from Wuhan in which residents in a cluster of high-rise apartment buildings could be heard shouting, “Fake! Fake! Everything is fake!” as China's Vice Premier Sun Chunlan toured the area.)
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