Correct Understanding of Developing Party Members from New Social StrataThis article, written by the guest commentator of Xinhua News Agency, is published on the front page of People's Daily. Following are excerpts of this article.Comrade Jiang Zemin's important speech given at the meeting in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China clearly states: Party members coming from workers, farmers, intellectuals, servicemen and cadres are the most fundamental components and backbone force of the Party ranks, at the same time, it is necessary to draw into the Party the outstanding elements from other social sectors, who acknowledge the Party's Program and Constitution, consciously work for the Party's line and program, have gone through long-term tests and meet the requirements for Party members. This major theoretical innovation is of important and far-reaching significance in strengthening construction of the ranks of Party members, constantly enhancing the Party's class base and enlarging its mass foundation, and constantly raising the Party's social influence under the new historical conditions. In grasping the question of developing Party members from among the new social strata, it is first necessary to correctly understand the new changes taken place in the composition of China's social strata and the important role played by these strata in promoting economic development and social progress. Since the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Party Central Committee in late 1978, China's economic system and the composition of social strata have experienced and are experiencing major changes. In rural areas, along with the deepening of the economic structural reform and the advancement of managing agriculture in an industrial way, farmers have organically combined themselves with the market, some of them have quitted their land and engaged in the secondary and tertiary industries, some have entered township enterprises, some have become self-employed workers, and others have become proprietors of privately run enterprises. In cities, along with the establishment of a modern corporate structure and the regrouping and restructuring of some enterprises, more and more workers have held shares, there have emerged some proprietary share-holders and big share-holders, and the number of propertied persons has increased considerably; with the rapid development of foreign-invested enterprises, numerous managerial and technical personnel have been employed by these enterprises; there have emerged more and more social intermediary organizations, with the number of employees steadily increasing; a group of young and highly educated managerial and technical personnel who master high and new technologies and managerial expertise are active in vigorous privately run scientific and technical enterprises. These vast numbers of personnel in the new social strata have played an important role in expediting the progress of science and technology, livening up urban and rural markets, optimizing the allocation of resources, enlarging employment channels, satisfying the diverse demands of the people and promoting the development of the national economy. Non-public sectors have become an important component of China's socialist market economy and constitute a dynamic force propelling China's economic development and social progress. The broad masses of people in the new social strata are also the builders of socialist undertakings with Chinese characteristics. Party building has always been linked together with the Party's historical tasks and with the theories and lines defined for the realization of these tasks. Comrade Jiang Zemin pointed out in his speech, "It is imperative to implement the Party's basic theories and basic lines and, in compliance with the requirements of the 'three represent's' (representing the requirement to develop advanced productive forces, an orientation toward advanced culture and the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people), comprehensively and intensively strengthen and improve Party building. Studying the work of developing Party members from among the new social strata, we naturally will come to the following conclusions: Drawing into the Party the outstanding elements from among the new social strata is conducive to maintaining the advanced nature of the Party. At the present historical stage, the advanced nature of Communist Party members naturally should be expressed in their conscientious study and practice of Deng Xiaoping Theory and Comrade Jiang Zemin's important thought contained in the 'three represent's', in the comprehensive, correct and active implementation of the Party's basic lines and in the conscious pitching into the socialist economic, political and cultural construction with Chinese characteristics. Advanced elements do exist in the new social strata. Many of them come from among farmers, workers, students, operational and managerial personnel in State-owned enterprises, cadres of Party and government organizations, personnel from institutions, scientific and technical personnel from institutions of higher learning and research institutes, as well as Chinese students returned from abroad. The overwhelming majority of them love the motherland and the people, support the Party's lines, principles and policies, observe the Constitution and laws of the country and actively participate in the great cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. Some people are keen on social public welfare services, pay attention to their own social images, exhibit deep love for their country and are willing to make their own contributions to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Some of them are eager to make political progress, actively get close to Party organizations, are willing to strive for the Party's program and line, and have scored achievements in boosting reform, promoting development and maintaining stability. It is not only necessary but also possible to accept into the Party the outstanding elements from among them, who acknowledge the Party's program and Constitution, consciously strive for the Party's line and program, have gone through long-term tests and correspond with the requirements for Party members. Taking the outstanding elements from among the new social strata into the Party is conducive to strengthening the Party's class base, enlarging its mass foundation, raising the Party's social influence and consolidating its ruling status. Along with the deepening of economic restructuring, China's social-economic structure, economic sector, social organization form, benefit distribution method and employment method are increasingly diversified. Non-public economic organization, social organization, civilian-run non-enterprises are emerging in large quantities and are exerting important influence on China's economic, cultural and social development, to guide the healthy development of these economic and social organizations, it is necessary to have correct principles and policies and a perfect regulatory system, it is also necessary to strengthen the Party's political leadership. Drawing into the Party the outstanding elements from among the new social strata who conform to the requirements for Party members and through their influence to bring along other personnel in these strata to render better service for the country and society is conducive to implementing the Party's line, principles and policies in these economic and social organizations and enhancing the Party's influence on these new social strata; it is also conducive to changing the weak condition in the Party's work in these economic and social organizations and enlarging the coverage of the Party's work. Drawing into the Party the outstanding elements from among the new social strata helps fully mobilize the positive factors of various quarters and give a better push to the great cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. Many people engaged in non-public economic sectors and personnel in other economic sectors have become well off by responding to the Party's call. Taking the outstanding elements from among them into the Party and giving full expressions to the Party's political trust in them, so that they rally themselves closely around the Party helps better mobilize their enthusiasm and creativity, so that they can better unite with and lead the masses to serve realization of the Party's basic line at the primary stage of socialism and contribute their strength to the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. On the question of developing Party members from among the new social strata, we should enhance understanding and unify thinking, in concrete operation, we must ensure the work is safe and secure, we must not rush headlong into mass action and accept new Party members by lowering the standards. In drawing into the Party the outstanding elements from among the new social strata, we must stick to the required standards, strictly follow set procedures and guarantee quality. That we allow acceptance of outstanding elements from among the new social strata into the Party is by no means, in total lack of principle, leaving the door wide open, still less should we draw unqualified people into the Party and thus damage the nature of the Party as the vanguard of the working class. All Party members should be educated to establish a firm conviction in the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics, conscientiously implement the Party's basic line; establish a Marxist mass viewpoint, maintain the flesh-and-blood ties between the Party and the people, strive to carry out the purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, and further solving the problem of joining the Party ideologically. It is necessary to correctly handle the relations between developing Party members from among the new social strata and from among workers, farmers, intellectuals, soldiers, and cadres. When we allow outstanding elements among the new social strata to join the Party, we do not in the least mean regarding these people as the focus of work in developing Party members. Comrade Jiang Zemin has made it clear that accepting the advanced elements from among workers, farmers, intellectuals, soldiers and cadres into the Party has always been the focus of our work of developing Party members. We should adapt ourselves to the reality of change in the ranks of the working class and, from the high plane of maintaining the nature of the Party as the vanguard of the working class and consolidating the ruling status of the Party, and enhance our self-consciousness of doing well our work of admitting Party members from among workers, farmers, intellectuals, soldiers and cadres. |
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