LONDON -- Like many religions, communism does not admit that it -- or those that represent it at the head of governments -- can make mistakes. Historical inevitability means that the party must be correct. To acknowledge anything else would be to undermine the basic certainties upon which Marxism rests.
In this regard, something interesting is happening in China. First, by sacking those held responsible, Beijing has admitted that it has been at fault in its handling of the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome earlier this year. Now, even more strikingly, the mainland's chosen chief representative in Hong Kong has withdrawn from introducing security legislation in the face of public opinion out on the streets.
The initial reaction from the mainland to public protests over the legislation in Hong Kong had been hostile. But the scale of the discontent that brought out half a million people on July 1 appears to have made its impact felt.