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THE NPC BEGAN. IN THE MUSEVENI INTERVIEW DENG ALSO URGED PARTY VETERANS NOT TO PRESSURIZE THE NEW LEADERSHIP, AN INDICATION THAT THIS HAD INDEED BEEN HAPPENING.
3. SOME HAVE ARGUED THAT DENG'S PURPORTED CRITICISM OF LI OVER
EDUCATION WAS IN RESPONSE TO THE LATTER'S IMPLIED CRITICISM
OF DENG AND ZHAO IN HIS WORK REPORT. ACCORDING TO THIS ARGUMENT THIS ALSO EXPLAINS WHY DENG DID NOT ATTEND THE FIRST DAY OF THE NPC SESSION TO LISTEN TO LI'S DELIVERY. LI'S ATTRIBUTION OF BLAME FOR CURRENT ECONOMIC PROBLEMS WAS INDEED SLANTED TO A PERIOD WHEN ZHAO WAS EFFECTIVELY IF NOT FORMALLY, CONTROLLING BOTH PARTY AND GOVERNMENT WORK. EVEN MORE POINTEDLY, HE PLACED THE BLAME FOR INFLATION ON RELAXING PRICE CONTROLS AT A TIME (EARLY 1988) WHEN PRICE CONTROLS SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCREASED. THIS WAS THE PERIOD WHEN DENG AND ZHAO WERE PUBLICLY CALLING FOR PRESSING ON WITH PRICE REFORM WHATEVER THE COSTS. AT A FINAL PRESS CONFERENCE GIVEN BY LI PENG AND THE 3 VICE-PREMIERS, LI WAS ASKED WHO SHOULD BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ERRORS NOTED IN HIS WORK REPORT AND NEGLECT OF EDUCATION REFERRED TO BY DENG. LI ADMITTED HIS OWN PART BUT ALSO POINTED TO THE NOTION OF COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP AND THE ROLE OF THE STATE COUNCIL AS EXECUTOR OF PARTY DECISIONS.
4. LI PENG'S WORK REPORT WAS LACKLUSTRE. IT REAFFIRMED UNEQUIVOCALLY THE CENTRALIST REMEDIES FOR CURRENT PROBLEMS. BUT THERE WAS NO ATTEMPT TO GIVE ECONOMIC POLICIES ANY IDEOLOGICAL UNDERPINNING. THE APPROACH WAS PRAGMATIC RATHER THAN PHILOSOPHICALLY CONSERVATIVE. THIS KEPT THE FOCUS ON SHORT-TERM MEASURES WHICH ARE PRESUMABLY ACCEPTED BY THE WHOLE LEADERSHIP. BUT IT ALSO SMACKS OF A BEHIND-THE-SCENES DEBATE ON THE FURTHER WAY FORWARD COUPLED WITH A DETERMINATION NOT TO ALLOW THIS TO BE POLITICALLY DESTABILIZING AT THIS DELICATE TIME. THIS MAY ALSO ACCOUNT FOR THE POSTPONEMENT OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE PLENUM.
5. THIS NPC SESSION WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT RESOLVED TO CARRY ON WITH ECONOMIC STABILISATION POLICIES AT LEAST IN THE SHORT- TERM. BUT IT ALSO REVEALED INCREASING AND UNRESOLVED STRAINS ON A LARGE NUMBER OF ISSUES. AS WE SEE IT, THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE EVENTS OR IMPLICATIONS OF THE SESSION TO RULE OUT DENG'S RETIRING FROM HIS LAST FORMAL OFFICES AS HE WOULD LIKE TO LATER THIS YEAR, OR TO DISLODGE ZHAO AS HIS MOST LIKELY POLITICAL (AND MILITARY) HEIR. BUT THIS SCENARIO WILL NOW HAVE TO BE PLAYED OUT, NOT AS DENG WOULD PREFER IN A BLAZE OF INTERNAL AS WELL AS EXTERNAL SUCCESS, BUT IN A PERIOD OF RETRENCHMENT
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