(11)  Accept Supervision From the Party And the Masses; See That Privilege-Seeking Is Not Allowed

Leading cadres at all levels are the servants of the people. They have only the duty of serving the people diligently and conscientiously and no right to seek privileges either politically or in respect to living conditions. Providing leading members with certain reasonable conveniences and ensuring their safety in accordance with the needs of work is necessary; but it is absolutely impermissible to seek privileges in violation of the regulations.

In our country, people differ only in the kind of work they do, and are not classified into superior and inferior, high and low. No one is a lowly slave or an exalted aristocrat. The idea of those who regard their power as something free of all restrictions belongs to a moribund feudal "special privilege" mentality, and must be criticized and corrected. Party members and - cadres should regard the urge to seek privileges and personal gains as the greatest disgrace.

It is necessary to uphold the principle that everyone is equal before the truth and before Party discipline and state law. There must not be any special Party members who are not bound by the restrictions of Party discipline and state law and who place themselves above the Party organization. It is absolutely impermissible for Party members to abuse their functions and powers in pursuing their own selfish interests.

No leading cadre is allowed to transcend the limits of power given by the Party organization, or to encroach upon the power of a collective or an individual. All Party members are comrades and comrades-in-arms on an equal footing; leading cadres of the Party should treat others as equals, they must not think that others should comply with whatever they say, whether correct or not, still less should they put on official airs and go in for reprimanding and rebuking others. If problems in work arise at the lower levels as a consequence of the shortcomings and mistakes of the leading members at the higher levels, the higher authorities should take the initiative to shoulder the responsibility for the lower levels and should first of all make self-criticism.

Leading cadres at all levels must maintain and carry forward our Party's glorious traditions of hard struggle and sharing joys and sorrows with the masses. It is necessary firmly to overcome the abominable tendency existing among some leading cadres to seek special treatment for themselves and their family members. It is forbidden for leading members to wilfully approve the use of public funds and materials in violation of financial and economic discipline. They are forbidden to use their position and power to seek preferment for their family members or relatives in regard to such matters as enrolment in schools and colleges, transferring from one to another, promotions, employment and going abroad. The use of public funds for banquets, gifts and residences for leading members in violation of rules and regulations is forbidden. It is impermissible to mix public and private interests, use public service for private gain, appropriate and squander state and collective property under any pretext or by any means.

Leading Party cadres at all levels must consciously and strictly observe the regulations regarding their living arrangements and at the same time pay more attention to educating their children. Those who have violated regulations in these matters and who refuse to mend their ways despite criticism and education must be punished according to Party discipline.

No leading cadre is permitted, in violation of the Party's organizational principles and criteria for the selection of cadres, to promote his family members or relatives to leading positions. He must not allow them to overstep their authority and meddle in Party and state affairs, nor should he place them in key posts on his staff.

In order to maintain close ties between the Party and the masses of the people, and see to it that the leading Party cadres and Party members who are the people's servants do not turn into lords sitting on their backs, it is necessary to strengthen supervision by the Party organization and the masses over the leading Party cadres and Party members. This requires adopting a method which includes combining supervision "from bottom to top" and "from top to bottom" and from both "inside the Party" and "outside the Party."

It is necessary, on the basis of steadfastly following the mass line, to establish and improve the whole system for the examination, review, award and punishment, rotation, retirement and dismissal of cadres. Application of this system should bring to light the genuine distinction between cadres' merits and demerits, and between who should be commended and who should be punished, so as to encourage the advanced and spur on the less advanced.

Leading cadres at all levels should, at regular intervals, listen to the opinions and comments of the Party members and the masses in their own units. Party organizations at all levels should attach importance to the criticism and opinions expressed by the masses, in their letters or during their visits, about the leading cadres and Party members.

Every Party member, whatever his post, must be assigned to a Party organization and take part in its activities. Party committees at all levels and their standing committees should call regular "meetings of democratic life" to exchange views and carry out criticism and self-criticism.

(12) Study Hard and Become Red and Expert

To accomplish the arduous tasks of the four modernizations, it is necessary to train and foster a mighty contingent of cadres who persist in the socialist road and who have vocational knowledge. It is also necessary to boldly promote to leading posts middle-aged and young cadres (including Party and non-Party members) who fulfil these requirements so that they can develop their strong points in work and overcome their weaknesses. This is an urgent and important political task placed before the whole Party.

Party members must be vanguard fighters in accomplishing the four modernizations and strive to be red and expert. "Red" means having a firm and correct political orientation and upholding the four fundamental principles; "expert" means learning and mastering professional knowledge for accomplishing modernization and becoming specialists and experts in their own fields of work.

In order to improve and strengthen Party leadership over the modernization programme, it is essential to raise the cultural, scientific, technical and vocational attainment of all Party members to a much higher level.

All Party members must, in accordance with the requirements for proletarian vanguard fighters, set strict demands on themselves, assiduously study and grasp Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought, steadily raise their level of political consciousness and ability to work for the four modernizations so as to make still greater contributions.

* * *

The Guiding Principles for Inner-Party Political Life embody the important rules and regulations of the Party. All Party members should diligently study and consciously abide by them. They should conscientiously examine their work and style in accordance with the requirements of these principles. Leading bodies at all levels and leading cadres of the Party should take the lead in carrying them out. Party members who violate these guiding principles should be criticized and educated and, in serious cases, punished according to Party discipline, up to expulsion from the Party.

Party organizations and commissions for inspecting discipline at all levels should make regular check-ups on the implementation of these principles; the commissions for inspecting discipline should draw up reports on their findings to the Party congresses or the Party committees.

(A slightly abridged translation.)

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The official formulation of the Party's political line will be that stated in the General Programme of the Party Constitution which will be adopted at the 12th National Congress of the Party.

(NO. 14 APRIL 7, 1980)