NONETHELESS SIGNIFICANT THAT THIS CHANGE WAS THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL OF ALL THE DECISIONS TAKEN AT THE SESSION. TWENTY ONE DEPUTIES (OUT OF 2,674) VOTED AGAINST LI'S APPOINTMENT AND 13 VOTED AGAINST ZHAO'S REMOVAL. NO OTHER DECISION REGISTERED MORE THAN THREE VOTES
AGAINST.
THE OTHER TWO MINISTERIAL APPOINTMENTS WERE MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD. CUI YUELI, WHO WAS PAST RETIRING AGE, WAS REPLACED AS MINISTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH BY ONE OF HIS VICE-MINISTERO, CHEN MINZHANG AND THE MINISTER OF LIGHT INDUSTRY, YANG RO, WAS REPLACED BY ZENG XIANLING.
4. THE VARIOUS REPORTS, HEARD BY THE SESSION, INCLUDING ZHAO ZIYANG'S GOVERNMENT WORK REPORT, WERE ALL APPROVED. ONE DEPUTY VOTED AGAINST THE BUDGET REPORT AND ELEVEN ABSTAINED, TWO ARSTAINED OVER ZHAO'S REPORT. THE REGULATIONS ON VILLAGE COMMITTEES WERE ADOPTED IN PRINCIPLE, (TWO VOTES AGAINST AND ELEVEN ABSTENTIONS), BUT REFERRED BACK TO THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS STANDING COMMITTEE FOR FURTHER REVISION. THE RESOLUTION ADOPTING AND APPROVING ZHAO'S WORK WAS A MODEL OF POLITICAL PALANCE, MAXING DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE NEED FOR REFORM AND OPENING TO THE OUTSIDE. WORLD AS WELL AS TO THE NEED TO CONTINUE THE STRUGGLE AGAINST BOURGEOIS LIBERALISATION. ACCORDING TO XINHUA THE WORK REPORT
NEEDED TO BE AMENDED IN THREE MAIN RESPECTS TO GIVE GREATER
ATTENTION TO THE NEED FOR THRIFT, TO THE GRAIN PROBLEM, AND TO THE ROLE OF PEOPLE'S CONGRESSES AT ALL LEVELS AS SUPERVISORY BODIES.
THE FIRST TWO HAVE A VAGUELY CONSERVATIVE RING ABOUT THEM, BUT THEY
ARE ALSO AIMED AT REAL ECONOMIC PROBLEMS (THE DIFFICULTY OF FEEDING
CHINA'S POPULATION AND WASTEFULNESS AND INEFFICIENTY IN INUDTRY)
WHICH WOULD HAVE NEEDED ADDRESSING WHATEVER THE POLITICAL
CIRCUMSTANCES.
5. THE SESSION THUS CONCLUDED IN A BUSINESS LIKE BUT LARGELY,
AND
PERHAPS DELIBERATELY, NON-CONTROVERSIAL FASHION. DIFFICULT SUBJECTS
WERE AVOIDED. THE REFORMERS WILL BE PLEASED TO HAVE REEN ABLE TO
HOLD THE CONGRESS IN THIS RELATIVELY LOW KEY WAY SO SOON AFTER THE
UPHEAVELS OF JANUARY. ECONOMIC REFORM HAS RECEIVED FURTHER GENERAL,
IF AT TIMES DISAPPOINTINGLY UNSPECIFIC, REINDORSEMENT. THE CONSERVATIVES TOO CAN DERIVE SOME SATISFACTION FROM THE REMOVAL OF THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SECURITY, AND THE OBVIOUS WEIGHT THAT HAD TO BE ACCORDED THEIR VIEWS IN THE DOCUMENTS ADOPTED AT THE SESSION.
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