Institutional Guarantee for the Selection and Appointment of Capable People

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, July 26, 2002

Institutional Guarantee for the Selection and Appointment of Capable People

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Vice-President Hu Jintao on Selection of Officials

The following are excerpts of the answers given by an official from the CPC Central Committee Organization Department to reporter's questions concerning the promulgation and implementation of the Statute on the Appointment of Party and Government Officials, published on the front page of People's Daily July 25.

QUESTION: Would you please say something about why it is necessary to revise and promulgate the Statute on the Appointment of Party and Government Officials?

ANSWER: The Statute on the Appointment of Party and Government Officials promulgated recently by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was revised on the basis of the "Provisional Statute on the Work of the Selection and Appointment of Party and Government Leading Cadres" (hereinafter referred to as Provisional Statute).

The "Provisional Statute" promulgated and implemented by the CPC Central Committee in 1995 has played an important role in standardizing the work procedures for the selection and appointment of officials, improving the quality of the work of the selection and appointment of officials, strengthening the construction of the leading bodies and curbing the unhealthy tendency and corrupt phenomenon existing in the employment of people.

Over the past seven years since the promulgation of the Provisional Statute, great changes have taken place in the situation. In the face of the numerous new situations and new problems arising in the work of the selection and appointment of officials, the Provisional Statute can no longer completely meet the needs of work in terms of content and form. In compliance with the requirements of the new situations and new tasks and in the spirit of advancing with time, the CPC Central Committee decided to revise and promulgate the Statute on the Appointment of Officials.

This decision is of great and far-reaching significance to the establishment and perfection of a scientific mechanism for the selection and appointment of officials and a mechanism for supervision and management, to the promotion of scientific, democratic and institutional work of cadres, to forming a collective leadership full of vigor and vitality, enthusiasm and capability, to guaranteeing implementation of the Party's basic lines and guaranteeing the prosperity and development of the Party's cause and the long-term peace and stability of the State.

Q: The promulgation and implementation of the Statute on the Appointment of Official is indeed of important significance, would you please tell me more about its main contents and characteristics?

A: The Statute consists of 74 articles in 13 chapters. Beginning with clearly defined guiding thought for the work of the selection and appointment of officials, the basic principles and conditions for the selection and appointment of officials, the Statute sets down all-directional, substantial and procedural stipulations on the selection and appointment of Party and government officials through a series of links including democratic recommendation, assessment of cadres, deliberation, decision through discussion and employment, the various chapters dovetail to one another, thus forming a complete system for the selection and appointment of officials. Of which, the General Provisions, conditions for selection and appointment, democratic recommendation, assessment, decision through discussion, discipline and supervision are the key links and main contents of the Statute.

The revised Statute on the Appointment of Officials has the following striking features:

First, it upholds the principle of marching with time, it gives the contents in such aspects as the principles, standard, procedure, method and discipline concerning the selection and appointment of officials and the new connotations of the times;

Second, it adheres to the basic orientation for expanding democracy; it contains new measures in such aspects as developing inner-Party democracy, implementing the masses' right to be in the know about the selection and appointment of officials, their right of participation, right of selection and right of supervision;

Third, it persists in perfecting the procedures, and lays down more explicit and concrete stipulations on various links in the selection and appointment of officials;

Fourth, it persists in the innovation of system and includes in it such systems as the public selection of cadres, filling the post through competition, making a public announcement before appointment, instituting a system of probation period, and perfecting the system of appointment, dismissal, resignation and demotion; and

Fifth, it persists in exercising effective supervision and establishes such systems as the responsibility system for the assessment of officials, the system of investigating and affixing responsibility in regard to the selection and appointment of officials and the responsibility system for supervision over the selection and appointment of officials.

Q: The Statute lays down six basic qualifications for being Party and government leading cadres, would you please tell me how to grasp these requirements in actual work?

A: Our Party has always adhered to the principle of using cadres of both ability and political integrity and, in light of the change in the situation and tasks facing the Party, has incessantly given it new connotations of the times.

The six basic qualifications set down in the Statute are an organic whole, it must be understood comprehensively and grasped correctly. While selecting and appointing cadres, we must comprehensively judge cadres in line with the six basic qualifications set down in the Statute, and really select cadres who are politically reliable and competent in work, so as to establish a guide to correct employment.

Q: In recent years, the CPC Central Committee has repeatedly emphasized the need to expand democracy in cadre work and ensure the masses' right to be in the know about the selection and appointment of cadres, and the rights to participate, select and supervision. In which aspects does the Statute embody this requirement?

A: The Statute gives expressions to the expansion of democracy in the key links such as the recommendation, assessment, decision through discussion and supervision in regard to the selection and appointment of cadres and implement the requirement of the "four rights".

First, expanding democracy in the recommendation of cadres.

Second, expanding democracy in the assessment of cadres.

Third, expanding democracy in the decision on cadres through discussion, and

Fourth, expanding democracy in supervision over cadres

Q: At present, there exists the phenomenon in which "what an individual or a few persons say, counts" in the work of the selection and appointment of officials, would you please tell me what stipulations have been drawn up in regard to this question in the Statute?

A: The key to solving this problem concerning "what an individual or a few people say, counts" lies in persistently implementing the principle of democratic centralism. The Statute has laid down a series of stipulations in this regard.

Firstly, in the recommendation of cadres, the Statute stipulates that an individual who recommends candidates to be leading cadres to a Party organization must responsibly write out and sign the materials of recommendation.

Secondly, in determining prospective officials through assessment, the Statute stipulates that whether in the election of new leading bodies or in the individual promotion or employment, the prospective cadres assessed must be determined through collective deliberation on the basis of the democratic recommendation by the Party committee (leading Party group) or by the organization (personnel) department, individual leaders are not in a position to determine prospective officials assessed.

Thirdly, the Statute stipulates that when the Party committee discusses and decides on the appointment and removal of officials, over two-thirds of the committee members must attend the meeting, a decision can be formed with the agreement of over half of the Party committee members present at the meeting, and it cannot be decided by an individual or a few people.

Q: The accuracy of the assessment of cadres has always been a matter of concern to the vast number of cadres and masses. What stipulations have been laid down in the Statute in regard to the prevention of assessment inconsistent with reality or facts?

A: To prevent assessment being inconsistent with reality or facts, the Statute has laid down relatively strict stipulations in the aspects of the content, scope, method and discipline of assessment. The Statute also sets rigorous demands on those participating in the assessment of officials, stipulating that the investigators should be of high competence and with relevant qualifications. The Statute also calls for implementation of a responsibility system for the assessment of officials.

Q: In recent years, the central authorities have placed great attention on the training and selecting of outstanding young cadres, would you tell me what stipulations has the Statute laid down for the emergence of outstanding young cadres?

A: The training and selection of outstanding young cadres has been a major issue of strategic importance our Party has always paid attention to. In order to promote the emergence of eminent young cadres, the Statute sets explicit requirements in the General Provisions for the selection and appointment of fine young cadres. After stipulating the qualifications for the selection of those to hold Party and government leading posts, the Statute also stipulates that particularly outstanding young cadres can be promoted with exception. One chapter on the open selection of cadres and holding posts through competition was added to the Statute. This objectively broadens one's vision on the selection and appointment of young officials, thus creating favorable condition for the emergence of outstanding young cadres.

Q: At present, there is a fairly outstanding problem featuring cadres who can work at higher level but not a lower level, what measures has the Statute adopted for the solution of this problem?

A: In this regard, the Statute stipulates the need to institute the systems of the removal of cadres from office, and of resignation, demotion, employment and probation period, thus unclogging the "outlet" for solving the problem of cadres unwilling to work at the lower level.

Q: The unhealthy tendency prevailing in some regions and department in regard to employment is one of the hot issues about which cadres and the masses are very much concerned. Would you please tell me what stipulations are set in the Statute for settling this problem?

A: The unhealthy tendency in regard to the employment of people does exist in some regions and departments and which is quite serious in some of them, the striking manifestation of this lies in the selection and appointment of cadres in violation of the prescribed principles, standard and procedures. To remedy this, the Statute has adopted a series of measures in regard to the following aspects:

First, expanding democracy in cadre work.

Second, tightening supervision over cadre work.

Third, setting a strict procedures for the selection and appointment of officials, and

Fourth, enforcing rigorous disciplines for those engaging in cadre and personnel work. As long as we act strictly in accordance with these stipulations set down in the Statute, dare to uphold principle and tackle actual and difficult problems, we can effectively prevent and check the unhealthy tendency in regard to employment.

Q: Finally, would you please say something about what concrete arrangements the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee has made for the implementation of the Statute?

A: Formulation of rules and regulations is, of course, important, but implementation of these regulations is even more important. An important and urgent task placed before Party committees (leading Party groups) as well as organization (personnel) departments at all levels at present and for a period of time to come is to firmly grasp the study and implementation of this Statute with the "three represents" important thought and the essence of General Secretary Jiang Zemin's May 31 important speech as the guidance.

We believe, as long as Party organizations at all levels resolutely implement the requirements of the Party Central Committee and act strictly in accordance with the Statute, the work of the selection and appointment of Party and government officials can certainly be pushed to a new level.

By People's Daily Online

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