TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues its rapid spread across the continents, the recently appointed Chinese Communist Party secretary (CCP) of the virus epicenter of Wuhan, Wang Zhonglin (王忠林) has received waves of criticism from the Chinese public for asking Wuhan's citizens to give thanks to the party.

Wang replaced the city's former CCP chief Ma Guoqiang (馬國強) in early February after Ma demonstrated his inability to control the spread of the virus. However, Wang drew anger from the public when he announced Thursday (March 5) that the Wuhan city government would implement "appreciation education" for its officials and residents.

According to the CCP-run Changjiang Daily, Wang demanded that the people of Wuhan show gratitude to General Secretary Xi Jinping (習近平) and the CCP for successfully slowing down the epidemic. He added that following the party's orders is necessary to stimulating powerful positive energy amid the outbreak.

Wang's remarks have attracted no shortage of criticism from Chinese online, with many Weibo users bashing the Wuhan leader for his servility to the CCP and his bureaucratic mindset. Comments such as "Deep-rooted bureaucracy is the devil of the outbreak" and "People in Wuhan are dying while you are kneeling down to the CCP" also surfaced but were soon removed from the social media platform, reported UDN.

Veteran Chinese media worker Chu Chaoxin (褚朝新) also posted a critique on his WeChat account, questioning the Wuhan authorities for their "inhumane" policies. Chu pointed out that many Wuhan citizens are currently receiving medical treatment at hospitals and that asking them to appreciate the CCP is both cold-blooded and extremely unsympathetic.

Chu suspects the "appreciation education" is a response to the viral video of Wuhan residents shouting "Everything is fake" at Vice Premier Sun Chunlan (孫春蘭) during her tour of a community last Thursday and said that Wang's priority should be his responsibility to his citizens instead of the CCP. Chu further stated that Wang is "the one that should be educated" and that he and his team should be ashamed of their behavior.

Although Chu's critical piece was immediately removed by WeChat, it continues to be shared by thousands of netizens. The Changjiang Daily has also erased any report about Wang's new policy, reported CNA.