HOW DO you solve a problem like Bo Xilai, a man whose charisma and populist tendencies threatened to derail the carefully groomed, personality-free technocracy that has largely run the Chinese Communist Party since the death of Chairman Mao Zedong in 1976? The conviction of Mr Bo’s right-hand man, Wang Lijun, in a Chengdu court yesterday, is the latest in a series of closed-door trials that beg more questions than they answer.
The one-time “supercop” was given 15 years for “bending the law for selfish ends”, bribery and abuse of power, just weeks after the jailing of Mr Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai, for her part in the death of British businessman Neil Heywood. The more protagonists go on trial, the murkier the whole story seems to become.
What is clear is that these cases are not about the rule of law but are concerned with ensuring stability in the once-in-a-decade power leadership transition from President Hu Jintao to Vice President Xi Jinping. That process is expected to begin at the 18th party congress next month. The trials have appeared like the show trials of the Cold War era – with dubious evidence and all-too-readily spouted confessions.
The charges in the cases related to Mr Heywood’s death – murder, defection, bribery – are generally capital crimes, but the sentencing to date has been remarkably lenient, which suggests a similarly mild punishment awaits Mr Bo. Most likely the party will move to chastise him using internal disciplinary measures. The son of revolutionary hero Bo Yibo, he retains considerable influence in certain factions of the party, and a harsh sentence could upset his allies. Among his patrons are former leader Jiang Zemin, who still has a role in the party nearly a decade after he stepped down as leader, and is rumoured to be set to make a pointed appearance at the next congress.
Even if Mr Bo escapes jail, he looks likely to be stripped of his party membership, and his prospects of making a comeback are rendered extremely difficult. Since the heady days when Mao ruled by force of will and encouraged a cult of personality that led to the disastrous Cultural Revolution, the leadership has been keen to avoid big personalities.
With the economy looking set for a hard landing, and regional tensions mounting in the stand-off with Japan, the communist leadership is focused on drawing a line under a classic purge. What happened to Neil Heywood is only of secondary interest in this case.