THE EIGHT RULES – A CALL TO IMPROVE OUR WORK PRACTICES

THE EIGHT RULES – A CALL TO IMPROVE OUR WORK PRACTICES*

January 22, 2013

The challenge we face in improving our work practices is demanding. The Eight Rules provide us with a starting point and a call to improve them. These rules are not the highest standards nor our ultimate goal, but the first step and the basic requirements for Communists. “He who is good at governing through restraint should first restrain himself then others.” We officials at all levels must conduct ourselves in an exemplary fashion, take the lead in improving our work practices, and live up to our commitments, starting from myself and other members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee. The people witness and remember every word and action of officials. They praise, support and follow those officials who show concern for them and work hard, but disparage, oppose and reject those who are slothful, dissipated and extravagant. Our financial strength is increasing, but we should never be extravagant or wasteful. We must practice frugality in all aspects of our work, and resolutely oppose waste, extravagance and hedonism. All officials should always keep in mind the interests of our people, pay more attention to people in need and in poverty-stricken areas, and be quick to offer them timely assistance. We should not waste resources by providing them with superfluous add-ons. In feudal society, “the rich wine and dine, the poor starve and die”. This will never be allowed to happen in our socialist country.

On January 15, I read a report submitted by Xinhua News Agency entitled “Netizens Urging the Elimination of Waste at the Dinner Table”. Every year more than RMB200 billion worth of food is wasted, equivalent to the annual food consumption for more than 200 million people. A research team from China Agricultural University analyzed leftovers from 2,700 tables of different sizes in three types of city – big, medium and small – and made this conservative estimate: In the catering industry alone, wasted protein in our country amounts to 8 million tonnes a year, equivalent to the needs of 260 million people, and wasted fat is 3 million tonnes, equivalent to the needs of 130 million people. In addition to the huge waste in catering, food waste is also very serious in daily life.

I think we may need further study to determine whether these figures are accurate, but the report did reveal a shocking and distressing waste of food and other things in our country. The main causes of the growing waste of food in wining and dining using public funds, business banquets and households are lack of supervision over the use of public funds and incorrect notions such as the richer the meal, the more hospitable the host.

All officials and the public have responded strongly to various forms of wasted food, particularly wining and dining using public funds. “With frugality comes restraint and good things; with luxury comes indulgence and bad things.” Thrift is our legacy and we shall never neglect it. We should carry forward the nation’s fine traditions of diligence and frugality, and advocate that economy is a matter of pride and waste a matter of shame. We should further promote these ideas, so that a healthy environment will develop to reduce waste. Party, government and military bodies at all levels, public institutions, people’s organizations and state-owned enterprises, and officials at all levels must set an example in strictly obeying the rules for official receptions, and in implementing all measures concerning thrift so as to completely eradicate waste in any activity that is paid for with public funds. In addition, supervisory measures should be strengthened, so that thrift is encouraged and waste is penalized. For this, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee has issued a notice. Party committees and governments at all levels should take effective measures to stop waste and must never relax their efforts in this regard. At present, we should pay special attention to such matters during the coming Spring Festival and the Two Sessions – the annual plenary sessions of the National People’s Congress and of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. 

All localities and departments must fully implement regulations on improving Party conduct, and implement these regulations in every aspect of our work. Higher-level departments must assume leadership and management responsibilities, and order their subordinates to rectify behaviors and practices that do not conform to regulations. Party committees and governments at all levels should implement all requirements, perform all duties in their daily work, and focus on solving the most prominent problems every year. The people’s satisfaction is the standard for measuring progress in improving our work practices. We must solicit extensive public views and suggestions, accept public assessment and scrutiny by the whole of society, and make improvements in areas where people have expressed dissatisfaction. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Party, the Ministry of Supervision and local Party discipline inspection commissions and government supervision departments at all levels must strengthen inspection and supervision to ensure that Party discipline is respected, accountability is maintained, and performance is ensured. We should tighten the accountability system, strictly implement regulations on disciplinary violations, and urge leadership bodies and leading officials at all levels to improve their way of work with strict discipline.

Problems relating to our work practices will persist or recur. Things will turn for the better if we make further efforts, otherwise problems will spread. Some people worry the Eight Rules may be temporary or merely a formality. There are reasons for this worry. Whether we are able to dispel this worry among officials and the public depends on what we do. The release of the Eight Rules is just a start. We need to make further efforts. In this regard, we should continue to work hard in the spirit of “leaving our mark in the steel we grasp and our print on the stone we tread”, and persevere in our actions till we achieve final success, rather than starting off full of sound and fury and then tapering off in a whimper. We must encourage all Party members and the people to scrutinize power, and demonstrate to the people continuous and genuine results and changes to our work practices.

* Part of the speech at the Second Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

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