Always Put the People First

Always Put the People First*

May 22, 2020

The CPC has its foundations in the people and maintains a close bond with the people. The people-centered philosophy of development embodies our Party’s ideals and convictions, its nature and purpose, and its aspiration and founding mission. It is also the result of an in-depth reflection on the Party’s development and practical experience. The fundamental goal for the Party since its founding, in uniting the people and leading them in revolution, construction and reform, is to give them a better life. The Party has never wavered in pursuing this goal no matter what challenges and pressure it faces, no matter the sacrifice and the cost. The people-centered philosophy of development is not an empty slogan, but a principle that underpins all our decisions and plans, and every aspect of our work.

First, always put the people first.

As an ancient Chinese said, “A sovereign who shares the interests of the people will have their support; a sovereign who denies the interests of the people will provoke their opposition.” The Constitution of the CPC states clearly that the Party has no special interests of its own and it shall, at all times, give top priority to the interests of the people. This salient feature distinguishes our Party, a Marxist party, from many others.

Confronted by the rapid spread of Covid-19, from the very beginning we have stated clearly that people’s lives and health should be our top priority. We have mobilized the best doctors, the most advanced equipment, and the most urgently needed resources across the country, and committed ourselves fully to the treatment of the sick. All the costs of the treatment are borne by the state. We act on our belief that the people come first, and life matters most. We are willing to protect people’s lives and health at any cost.

At present, China faces growing pressure in preventing inbound cases and guarding against domestic resurgence. It is necessary to tighten epidemic prevention and control and improve the regularized epidemic response mechanism to prevent domestic resurgence.

Second, rely on the people.

The people are our greatest strength in governance. Under the unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee, the whole country has been mobilized and has joined the battle against Covid-19, and governments at all levels and the whole of society are involved, establishing an impermeable network and forming an indestructible force for joint prevention and control. Considering the national interest and the general situation, the people have consciously subordinated their own needs to the overall interests of epidemic control, becoming the fundamental force in the battle.

As an ancient Chinese said, “If you can employ the strength of the people, you will be invincible under Heaven; if you can employ the wisdom of the people, no sage will be cleverer than you.” China’s socialist democracy is the most broad-based, genuine and effective democracy that safeguards the fundamental interests of the people. We must uphold people’s democracy and better integrate the people’s wisdom and strength into the undertakings of the Party and the people.

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was the first ethnic autonomous region in China. I hope you will uphold and improve the system of regional ethnic autonomy, strengthen exchanges and interactions among different ethnic groups, accelerate the pace of economic and social development, and continue to take the lead in promoting ethnic unity and progress.

We must rely closely on the people in coordinating epidemic control with economic and social development. The epidemic has had a substantial impact on China’s economic and social development, but the economic fundamentals for stable and long-term progress have not changed. A coin has two sides. The epidemic is a crisis, but to some extent it has generated new opportunities. It is necessary to take proactive action and launch effective measures to press ahead with major projects, support market players, accelerate industrial restructuring, and improve grassroots governance. Targeted efforts should be made in mapping out major plans, reforms and policies that will serve as drivers of high-quality development and high-efficiency governance. This way, we will keep the initiative and achieve progress in our response to the crisis.

Third, constantly work for the benefit of the people.

The purpose of economic and social development is, in the final analysis, to fulfill the people’s desire for a better life. We must ensure that the people live and work in peace and contentment, and we must work hard to address practical issues of public concern, including employment, education, social security, medical care, housing, pension, food safety, and public order. We must make concrete efforts year after year to deliver tangible results and real benefits to the people.

Inner Mongolia announced in March that all of its impoverished counties had emerged from poverty. Further efforts should be made to consolidate and expand progress in poverty alleviation through economic development and employment, to provide effective follow-up support for relocation of the poor from inhospitable areas, and to integrate poverty alleviation into rural revitalization. The epidemic has increased the pressure on employment this year. We must succeed in generating employment for key groups including graduating college students, rural migrant workers, and demobilized military personnel.

The epidemic has exposed weaknesses and shortcomings in our public health system. Immediate action must be taken to improve the public health system and the system for preventing, controlling and treating serious epidemics, to reinforce community-level epidemic response capacity in both urban and rural areas, and to carry out extensive public health campaigns, so as to better protect people’s lives and health.

We must consider serving the people and working for their wellbeing to be our primary political goal. The Party measures job performance of its members by how much good they have done for the people. Party members and officials, particularly senior ones, must be aware that the power in their hands and the positions they hold are entrusted by the Party and the people, and can only be used for advancing the Party’s undertakings for the benefit of the people. Leading officials at all levels must take the right attitude towards power, job performance and career, and take concrete actions to benefit the local people during their term in office, rather than indulging their vanity, pursuing unearned prestige, or achieving worthless outcomes.

For example, eco-environmental protection is of vital importance to the people. The eco-environmental conditions in Inner Mongolia have a critical impact not only on the life and development of all ethnic groups in the region, but also on the eco-environmental security of the north, northeast and northwest of the country, and on the nation as a whole. Over the years, you have carried out key environmental projects, fought a tough battle against pollution, and taken important steps to build a beautiful Inner Mongolia. Local officials and people have persevered for more than 60 years in controlling the Mu Us Desert, 70 percent of which has been brought under control. The local environment as a whole is improving. What a great achievement!

We should remain confident in our eco-environmental strategy, and prioritize eco-environmental protection and green development. We should take comprehensive measures to improve the eco-environment in key locations such as the Yellow River Basin, Hulun Lake, Wuliangsu Lake, Daihai Lake, Wuhai Lake and the surrounding areas. Efforts to improve the quality of air, water and soil should continue in this region, so as to further fortify the green barrier in north China.

Fourth, take root in the people.

To achieve long-term governance, our Party must maintain close ties with the people, think and act in their interests, and share weal and woe with them. Since the 18th CPC National Congress held in 2012, we have exercised full and strict governance over the Party. Firm action has been taken to combat corruption and the Four Malfeasances of favoring form over substance, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance. We have launched education campaigns among all Party members to increase awareness of honoring the Party’s mass line and its original aspiration and founding mission. Our goal is to educate and guide Party members and officials to share the future with the people, and stay truly connected to them. To achieve this goal, we should make every effort to combat corruption and oppose any tendency towards favoring form over substance and bureaucratism. And we should prevent any disengagement from the people, which may lead to a loss of public support.

* Main part of the speech at the deliberation session of the Inner Mongolia delegation to the Third Session of the 13th National People’s Congress.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)