The revival of the real CPC

As the mass-line educational campaign by the Communist Party of China (CPC) comes to an end, the outcomes of the campaign have been generally well received.

Xin Ming, of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, credits the campaign with giving the populace a chance to see what the real CPC should be like.

"Some people had mistaken the pervasive bad practices, hidden rules and corruption for the true colors of the CPC," said Xin.

Comparing the bad practices to "dust" enclosing a pearl, Xin said the campaign was the start of a thorough polishing, one which would bring out the true lustre of the pearl.

Mass-line refers to a guideline requiring CPC officials and members to put the interests of the people first and exercise power on their behalf.

This campaign began in June last year with the relationship between CPC officials and the general public clearly flagging. The main objective was cleaning up undesirable work styles by Party officials, principally the extravagant use of public funds for personal, hedonistic ends, seen as decadent at the very least and frequently verging on outright corruption and embezzlement. Pompous speeches, interminable pointless meetings, lavish banquets and parties at VIP clubs were all targets.

Focused on officials at or above county level, Party members examined their own conduct, laid their problems bare, analyzed the causes and made plans to set things right.

"The campaign improved the Party image among the ordinary people," Xin said. "With faith and hope, the people feel a new measure of support for the CPC."

Many Party members and officials have been punished in the last year and more than a dozen ministerial-level officials have found themselves in the crosshairs of the campaign.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, 87.3 percent of people surveyed late last year claimed to have seen a change for the better in the practices of government officials, while 77.1 percent believed forceful measures had been taken to investigate and punish offending officials.

A rod of iron

The campaign may have ended, but the CPC is eager for yet more improvement.

"The close of the campaign is not the end of the drive to foster good work styles," Chinese President Xi Jinping told a national meeting marking the end of the campaign on Wednesday.

While acknowledging achievements in checking misbehavior, Xi observed that some results came through fear. Officials were afraid of being seen to break the rules during the high pressure campaign, a far cry from the voluntary efforts to behave which Xi expects.

Addressing the 86 million Party members directly, Xi said all members should accept and understand that the CPC's rule was not sustainable unless Party management improved. The root cause, he said, of bad work styles and "hidden rules" was lax Party management.

The President laid down eight requirements of strict Party management, including clarifying the responsibilities of different parts of the Party machine, combining ideological education with system building, and more supervision of Party affairs by the general public.

Stressing the importance of regulations which are genuinely effective and achieve what they set out to do, Xi said, "Locking a cat up in a bullpen will not work." Existing rules must be properly enforced, he said, and no "special" Party members are immune from discipline.

The campaign was an important step toward a more stringent Party administration and provided the Party with new experiences and a better understanding of how to organize educational activities, Professor Xin Ming said.

To ensure the effects of the campaign last, in the past year the CPC introduced nearly 20 rules to curb waste and regulate spending on officials' travel, use of government vehicles, and construction of official buildings.

Addressing a reception marking the 65th anniversary of the founding of New China on Sept. 30, President Xi called for greater unity within the CPC, and maintenance of a reinforced bond with the people.

"We must never waver in our faith and must never separate ourselves from the people," he said. "All problems that affect the Party's creativity, cohesion and effectiveness must be addressed. All

maladies that harm the purity and advanced nature of the Party must be completely cured. All tumors that afflict the healthy Party organism must be cut away."

"Winning or losing public support is a matter of the CPC's survival or extinction," Xin said. "The campaign has just begun."