Tongfang Academy
Micro Party Class · Issue 327
Investigate and address both corruption and misconduct simultaneously, and deepen efforts to tackle both symptoms and root causes.
“Theoretical cultivation is the core of the comprehensive quality of Party members and cadres. Theoretical maturity is the foundation for political maturity, and political steadfastness stems from theoretical clarity.” For Party members and cadres, fostering a fine academic ethos and strengthening theoretical education are both fundamental requirements for cultivating Party spirit and an inescapable political responsibility.
Tongfang Law Firm provides a learning platform for all its lawyers in the form of micro-party classes, aiming to enhance their ideological and political awareness as well as their spirit of learning and inquiry. By establishing a long-term educational mechanism, the firm has created a new platform for self-education and self-improvement.
The issues of unhealthy tendencies and corruption share the same root and origin, and thus must be investigated and addressed in a coordinated manner. On January 6, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, emphasizing: “We must deepen the integrated approach to investigating and addressing both unhealthy tendencies and corruption.” “We must uphold the integration of rectifying conduct, enforcing discipline, and combating corruption, using ‘joint investigation’ to severely punish problems involving the intertwining of unhealthy tendencies and corruption, and employing ‘joint governance’ to eliminate the common root causes underlying both.”
The problems of unhealthy tendencies and corruption share the same root cause: they are both external manifestations of Party members and cadres deviating from their original aspirations and missions, wavering in their ideals and convictions, and disregarding the interests of the masses. They are viruses that erode the Party’s healthy body. At present, the situation in the fight against corruption remains grave and complex. To resolutely win the tough, protracted, and comprehensive battle against corruption, we must continuously deepen our understanding of the underlying patterns governing this struggle, adopt a holistic mindset, strengthen systemic thinking, and, guided by the principle and requirement of simultaneous investigation and rectification, relentlessly address the “Four Winds” with utmost rigor. We must spare no effort in punishing corruption and promote the integrated deepening of efforts to foster upright conduct and combat corruption.
We must conduct thorough and comprehensive investigations, digging deep to uncover the root causes of corruption hidden behind the “Four Winds.” In addressing these unhealthy tendencies, we should shift our focus from merely tackling superficial manifestations to identifying and rooting out the corrupt practices—such as seeking favors through improper connections and illicit transfer of interests—that lie beneath. In the TV documentary “Anti-Corruption: For the Sake of the People,” a fallen official’s reflection is profoundly thought-provoking: “If you don’t pay close attention to small matters and minor details, those small issues will eventually escalate into major problems.” In reality, many officials who have been investigated and punished did not initially engage in large-scale corruption. Instead, they first opened the door to corruption through seemingly trivial issues—such as accepting a pack of cigarettes, a cake of tea, a bottle of liquor, or a casual meal—starting with a sense of trepidation over “the first exception,” then pretending to be cautious by declaring “this won’t happen again,” and finally descending into brazen behavior that has become “a well-established practice.” Ultimately, they were exposed and became “flagship cases” of corruption. We must persist in addressing problems early and at their smallest scale, preventing them from escalating. Upholding the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation with the tenacity of driving nails home means continuously purifying our atmosphere, thereby relentlessly shrinking the space for corruption to take root and severing the chain linking unhealthy practices to corruption.
We must adopt a coordinated approach to investigation and governance, drawing broader lessons from specific cases, using each case as a lens to detect emerging trends, and tackling corruption-related issues such as hedonism and extravagance at their root. Government service windows, linking the Party and the government on one end and the people on the other, serve as a mirror reflecting the conduct of Party members and cadres. Taking the investigation into corruption at the Vehicle Administration Office in Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province as an opportunity, the city has launched a thorough crackdown on malpractices in the vehicle management sector—including extortion, bribery, and petty corruption—yielding greater peace of mind and smiles among the local residents. By adopting a holistic approach to addressing both corruption and related misconduct, and by examining typical cases to identify new trends in unhealthy practices within our region and field, we can ensure that each case uncovered serves as a warning to others, effectively addressing problems in a particular area and continuously strengthening our defenses against corruption and degeneration.
Joint investigation and joint governance emphasize addressing both the symptoms and root causes in a systematic and comprehensive manner. In recent years, disciplinary inspection and supervision authorities at all levels have taken serious measures in “investigation” and achieved tangible results in “governance,” using the integration of “investigation” and “governance” to effectively stem the evolution of corruption and misconduct. The discipline inspection and supervision authorities in Gansu Province have established a working mechanism for jointly investigating, reviewing, analyzing, and governing issues related to both misconduct and corruption, clearly stipulating that during the handling of leads, preliminary verification, and investigation and examination, they should simultaneously delve deeply into and thoroughly investigate connections between misconduct and corruption. Meanwhile, Heilongjiang Province has strengthened cautionary education by carefully selecting typical cases—cases where misconduct gradually escalates into corruption or where misconduct and corruption are intertwined—when compiling and producing confessions from provincially-managed officials and educational materials on such cases. To eliminate the soil and conditions conducive to corruption, it is particularly important to adopt a systematic perspective and dialectical thinking, consistently addressing Party spirit, Party conduct, and Party discipline together, and ensuring that efforts to rectify conduct, enforce discipline, and combat corruption are seamlessly integrated. This will help promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of preventing and addressing corruption.
The fight against corruption concerns the people’s support or opposition and the nation’s future and destiny. We must press ahead without pause and never yield an inch. By investigating and addressing both corruption and misconduct in tandem, we can foster a political environment characterized by integrity and honesty, as well as a positive atmosphere conducive to getting things done and achieving success. Only then can we provide strong guarantees for advancing Chinese-style modernization through new achievements in comprehensively enforcing strict Party governance.
Source | People's Daily Online, Official Website for Party History Study and Education
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Tongfang Academy Micro-Party Class, Issue 328: Want to Get Things Done, Can Get Things Done, and Actually Get Things Done
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Tongfang Academy Micro-Party Class, Issue 326: Using “Inspection” and “Treatment” to Thoroughly Prevent and Curb the Evolution of Corruption and Degradation
