Decentralism must be opposed and prevented.

If there are dissenting views on matters concerning the fundamental interests of the Party and state, or major political questions of theory and policy that affect the overall situation, they can be discussed on appropriate occasions within the Party. But when and how these should be discussed in the newspapers and magazines should be decided by the Party Central Committee. The Party's journals should unconditionally publicize the Party's line, principles, policies and political views.

Every Party member or Party leader must handle his personal affairs according to the principle that the Party's interests stand above everything else, and consciously accept the assignment, transfer and arrangement of work given him by the Party organization.

Every Party member must strictly guard Party and state secrets and fight resolutely against the practice of divulging Party and state secrets.

All Party members, especially leading cadres at all levels, must be models in observing the state laws, labour discipline, work discipline, and communist morality.

Party members must at all times and in all cases pay attention to the overall interests of the whole Party, the state and the people, and educate the masses in the spirit of giving consideration to the overall situation.

(4) Uphold Party Spirit and Eradicate Factionalism

As a unitary combat collective composed of the advanced elements of the proletariat, the Party must uphold its solidarity on the basis of the principles of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought and oppose all forms of factionalism and factional activities that undermine the Party's solid unity.

Organizing secret groups within the Party is a criminal action of splitting and subverting the Party.

Factionalism is incompatible with the proletarian Party spirit. Going in for factionalism and forming factional setups to pursue selfish interests are manifestations of extreme individualism of the exploiting classes and of anarchism and reflect within the Party, the guild mentality of the feudal classes and small producers.

There are no open factionalist cliques within the Party at present, but factionalism still exists among cadres and Party members who were fairly deeply affected by Lin Biao and the gang of four and some are even engaged in factional activities.

Party organizations at all levels and all Party members must uphold Party spirit and wage unremitting struggle to eradicate factionalism. Serious disciplinary measures must be taken against those who persist in factionalism and refuse to mend their ways despite repeated admonition. Such people should not be admitted into the leading bodies; they must be removed if they are already in leading posts.

In handling inner-Party relationship, cadres of the Party, especially leading cadres, must follow the principle of "dealing with comrades on an equal footing regardless of where they come from." That is to say, they must unite with all comrades who are loyal to the Party's interests and unite with the majority. Party members must have the communist breadth of vision, they must be strict with themselves and broad-minded towards others. In handling relations between comrades, they should be concerned only with whether he or she is resolute in carrying out the Party's line and observes Party discipline. They should not bear personal grudge and discriminate or retaliate against others, nor should they treat people differently on account of personal likes and dislikes. Factional activities and banding together in cliques are absolutely forbidden. It is impermissible to draw some in and push others out, to favour one group of people while suppressing another. They must not get tangled up in settling old scores.

In the relationship between the Party and the masses, it is equally necessary to guard against and oppose sectarian tendencies. Party members must play an exemplary role among the masses, be the first to bear hardships and the last to enjoy comforts. They must enthusiastically unite with non-Party comrades in work.

In cadre work, they must uphold uprightness and impartiality, persist in the practice of appointing people on their merits and oppose favouritism. Party members should be loyal to the Party's organizations and principles, they should not pledge loyalty to any individuals. No one is allowed to regard the Party's cadres as his private property, nor is he allowed to turn the lower-level cadres into his personal appendage.

(5) Speak the Truth and Match Words With Deeds

Loyalty to the cause of the Party and the people, honesty in words and deeds, being an honest person and being open and aboveboard, - these are the fine qualities that a Communist should have.

Party members should be honest and frank, they should not conceal their own mistakes, thoughts or views from the Party organization.

It is necessary firmly to oppose the way of bureaucrats and politicians and the practice of the philistines-exchange of flattery and favour, boasting and touting, obsequiously complying with the humours of the leaders, bartering away principles, grasping at opportunities for self-advancement and asking for fame and position from the Party.

Party members should at all time and in all circumstances respect facts both in regard to themselves and to others and make truthful report to the Party on the situation. Party discipline must be enforced upon those who practise fraud and thus cause great harm to the interests of the Party and the people, those who seek honour and position through deception, those who conceal their serious errors and achieve their personal aims by lying, and those who connive at and induce and coerce their subordinates to tell lies. Those who are not afraid of retaliation and who dare to tell the truth in defence of the interests of the Party and people should be commended.

(6) Promote Inner-Party Democracy, Take a Correct Attitude Towards Dissenting Views

Promotion of inner-Party democracy requires first of all that Party members are permitted to present differing views and engage in thorough discussions of matters so as to bring about a situation in which one can say all one knows and say it without reserve. Those who have made mistaken statements or written erroneous articles due to their mistaken understanding must not be punished for violating Party discipline, provided they do not oppose the Party's basic political stand, do not scheme, intrigue, engage in factional or splitting activities among the masses, make remarks among the masses contradicting the Party's line, principles and policies, or divulge Party and state secrets. The principle of the "three not's" must be strictly enforced - that is, do not seize on another's shortcoming and blow it up, do not put labels on people and do not use the big stick. The "three not's" forbid the wilful exaggeration of anyone's mistakes, cooking up charges against him and attacking him politically and organizationally and even persecuting him. The patriarchal style of work maintained by a number of leading cadres who lack a democratic spirit, turn a deaf ear to criticism or even suppress it must be corrected. Criticisms and opinions put forward by Party members should be adopted and accepted so long as they are correct. If there are really mistakes in them, they can only be pointed out in a matter-of-fact way; it is impermissible to try to track down the Party members' so-called motives and background.

We must pay attention to this distinction: opposition to a certain view of a certain comrade cannot be equated with opposition to this comrade; opposition to a certain comrade of a certain leading body cannot be equated with opposition to this organization, with opposition to the leadership, still less with opposition to the Party.

Those who committed such serious crimes against the law as imposing charges of counter-revolution on comrades daring to uphold the truth, as arbitrarily using dictatorial means against them and savagely persecuting them, must be severely punished according to Party discipline and state law.

It is normal that there should be different understanding and controversies over matters of ideology and theory within the Party. Matters of right and wrong in ideology and theory can be solved only by the method of presenting facts and reasoning things out and conducting democratic discussions, and on no account should the method of coercion be adopted. If some matters of right and wrong concerning ideology and theory cannot be solved for the time being, except for those of important political and immediate significance, they must be reserved for further discussion and solved through practice and no hasty conclusion should be drawn.

The practice of wilfully putting such political labels as "abandoning the Party standard," "poisonous weed," "bourgeois," and "revisionist" on matters of understanding, wilfully calling them issues of a political nature between ourselves and the enemy, not only impairs normal inner-Party political life and gives rise to ossified thinking but is apt to be utilized by anti-Party careerists and disrupts the democratic order of the socialist state. A check must be put to this practice.