Grasping the institutional advantage and transforming it into the key link of governance efficiency
The Socialism with Chinese characteristics system is a great achievement made by the Party leading the people through long-term exploration, and an important support to promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, with strong vitality and great superiority. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee emphasized that it is necessary to "uphold and improve the fundamental system, basic system and important system that support Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s system" and "better transform China’s institutional advantages into the effectiveness of state governance". The system is fundamental, overall, stable and long-term, and the institutional advantage is the fundamental advantage of Socialism with Chinese characteristics. To give full play to the institutional advantage and realize effective governance, we must grasp four key links.
Strengthen institutional self-confidence
Institutional self-confidence stems from the rational identification and persistent belief in the system, which is an important social and psychological basis for the development of institutional advantages. Only when most members of society enhance institutional identification and strengthen institutional self-confidence, can all systems be consciously observed, strictly implemented and earnestly maintained, and institutional advantages can be better transformed into governance efficiency.
Guide people to fully understand the remarkable advantages of the Socialism with Chinese characteristics system. Since the founding of New China, the Party has led the people to make great achievements in socialist construction and created "China Miracles" one after another. From "poor and white" to the second largest economy in the world, it has created a miracle of economic growth; From "no tractor can be built" to a world manufacturing power, it has created a miracle of scientific and technological development; From insufficient food and clothing to a well-off society in an all-round way, it has created a miracle of improving people’s livelihood; The incidence of rural poverty dropped from 97.5% in 1978 to 1.7% in 2018, creating an anti-poverty miracle; On the road of modernization, it took China 70 years to complete the journey that the western countries have traveled for hundreds of years, and maintained long-term social stability, creating a miracle in the history of modernization. Numerous "China Miracles" have highlighted the remarkable advantages of the Socialism with Chinese characteristics system and outlined the trajectory of the Chinese nation’s leap from standing up and becoming rich to becoming strong. Practice has proved that the Socialism with Chinese characteristics system is an important guarantee for the development and progress of contemporary China. Theoretical workers should strengthen institutional research and theoretical propaganda, deeply interpret the "institutional code" of socialist construction achievements, and strengthen the institutional confidence of the whole party and society.
Guide people to deeply understand the theoretical basis of Socialism with Chinese characteristics system. Socialism with Chinese characteristics system is the product of combining the basic principles of Marxism with the concrete reality of China, and the result of the long-term evolution of China’s institutional civilization. It has a profound historical accumulation and cultural foundation, meets the needs of China’s social development, and has won the support of people of all ethnic groups. In contemporary China, apart from the Socialism with Chinese characteristics system, no other system can effectively solve the governance problem of China. Any copying of other countries’ institutional models will make China fall into the whirlpool of governance dilemma and confuse China. Strengthening institutional self-confidence means explaining to the whole party and society the inevitability and rationality of the existence of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s fundamental system, basic system and important system, and guiding people to deeply understand the truth that only relying on Socialism with Chinese characteristics system can create a better life, realize national modernization and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Strengthen institutional awareness
Ideas determine attitudes, and thoughts determine behavior. Only when a person respects and respects the system in his heart can he have the consciousness of obeying the system. Only when a society firmly establishes the system consciousness can it give the system authority, and the system can better play a positive role in resolving contradictions, building order and guiding behavior in national governance.
Strengthen the awareness of rules in handling affairs according to the system. System consciousness, first of all, is the rule consciousness of doing things according to the system. System is a kind of behavior rule, and it is the most important rule in political and social life. Only with rules can we form a square. The Supreme Leader General Secretary emphasized: "The key to governing a country and a society is to establish rules, stress rules and abide by rules." The fundamental requirement of obeying the rules is to consciously abide by the system and earnestly safeguard it. Its important premise is to firmly establish a sense of rules in handling affairs according to the system. Only by paying attention to the system and respecting the rules ideologically can we achieve that our behavior will not cross the line and exceed the rules. It is necessary to strengthen institutional education, guide every party member and every citizen to strengthen the awareness of rules, form the habit of doing things according to the system, and be a conscious follower and firm defender of the system. It is necessary to give play to the disciplinary function of the system, so that acts that violate the rules and break the rules will be punished as they should, and the consciousness of the whole party and society to abide by the rules of the system will be enhanced.
Strengthen the thinking mode of using the system to solve problems. Xiao Zhi’s rule of affairs, great wisdom and effective governance of the country require not only the whole party and society to consciously abide by the rules of the system, but also party committees, governments and the masses at all levels to be good at using the system to solve the problems they face. Socialism with Chinese characteristics system is a scientific system formed by the Party and people in long-term practice and exploration. It is an institutional arrangement that is suitable for China’s national conditions and has distinctive China characteristics. It provides an important guarantee for national governance and basic norms for the orderly operation of society. No matter party member, leading cadres or ordinary people, they should think and do things on the institutional track and pay attention to the positive functions of the system. Ordinary people should learn to express their interests reasonably and legally through institutional channels, be good at using the system to solve interest disputes and safeguard their legitimate rights and interests; Leading cadres at all levels should regard the system as an important means of social governance, the basic basis for promoting all work and the fundamental way to solve problems, be good at using the system to deal with contradictions among the people, realize and safeguard the fundamental interests of the people, and promote economic and social development. Similarly, party committees and governments at all levels must also strengthen the thinking mode of using the system to solve problems and promote various undertakings on the track of the system.
Maintain institutional authority
If the system is to be strictly implemented, it must have authority. Institutional authority, based on jurisprudence, is a reliable guarantee for the orderly operation of a country ruled by law. Once institutional authority is destroyed, the rule of law cannot become the basic way of state governance, and the country will fall into the quagmire of inefficient governance and social disorder. To transform institutional advantages into governance efficiency, the whole party and society must consciously safeguard institutional authority.
Ensure the rigid constraints of the system. Only when the system becomes a rigid constraint can it gain people’s heartfelt support and sincere belief and have authority. To ensure the rigid restraint of the system, first, we must ensure that the system is implemented. Once the system is formulated, it must be implemented. We must never turn the system into a "scarecrow". We must make all systems work effectively, implement the system provisions, and realize the management of power, work according to the system, and people by the system. Second, we must maintain the seriousness of the system. The system is a hard constraint, not a "rubber band". We must ensure that everyone is equal before the system and abide by the system without exception. We must never allow "flexibility" or privilege in violation of the system, and we must never allow "secret doors" or "skylight" outside the system. Third, we should punish the "sword" by hanging high. We must resolutely crack down on the behavior of stepping on the "red line" of the system, crossing the "bottom line" of the system and breaking into the "minefield" of the system, and we will never tolerate it and guard against the "broken window effect". On the basis of ensuring the rigid constraint of the system, leading cadres at all levels should play the role of "leading geese" to drive the whole party and society to consciously respect the system and safeguard its authority.
Promote system reform and improvement. To have authority, the system must be a scientific system that meets the needs of practice and is effective. Socialism with Chinese characteristics system is a scientific system that meets the needs of China society, so it can establish institutional authority, but it does not mean that this system will no longer have room for development and perfection. On the contrary, if we want to effectively safeguard the authority of the Socialism with Chinese characteristics system, we must constantly promote the reform and improvement of this system according to the development of practice. On the one hand, we should correctly understand the relationship between institutional self-confidence and institutional perfection. The Supreme Leader’s General Secretary emphasized: "Institutional self-confidence is not self-esteem and self-satisfaction, nor is it a standstill, but a unity of firm institutional self-confidence and continuous reform and innovation." Only by promoting institutional reform and improvement can we have reason to strengthen institutional confidence. On the other hand, we must always adhere to the people’s position in the system reform. The Socialism with Chinese characteristics system is the people’s choice, which embodies the people’s will and fundamental interests. Only by advancing the system reform from the people’s position can the system be sincerely supported by the people and the authority of the system be effectively safeguarded.
Strict system implementation
The vitality of the system lies in implementation, and the advantages of the system can only be reflected in implementation. No matter how good the system is, if it is not implemented, it will exist in name only, and the virtual system is more harmful than no system, because the virtual system not only makes the society fall into the chaos without system, but also indulges the behavior of trampling on the system, which will greatly damage the authority of the system. To give full play to the advantages of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s system, we must effectively improve the system execution of Party committees and governments at all levels and leading cadres at all levels, and ensure that all systems are strictly implemented.
Improve the authoritative and efficient system implementation mechanism. National governance depends on system, system implementation depends on mechanism, and authoritative and efficient system implementation mechanism is the fundamental guarantee to improve system implementation. First, improve the ideological guidance mechanism of system implementation, guide people to deeply understand the great significance of Socialism with Chinese characteristics system in promoting national governance, realizing national rejuvenation and enhancing people’s well-being, unify thoughts and actions with the decision-making and deployment of the CPC Central Committee, consciously maintain a high degree of consistency with the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core in ideological and political actions, and enhance the consciousness and firmness of implementing the system. The second is to improve the organization and leadership mechanism of system implementation, strengthen the party’s leadership over system implementation, effectively improve the system implementation of leading cadres, and give play to the leadership advantages of the party and the exemplary and backbone role of leading cadres at all levels in system implementation. The third is to improve the cooperative linkage mechanism of system implementation, strengthen the work coordination among departments, get through the "middle obstruction" and smooth the "microcirculation", form a system implementation situation with smooth communication, mutual cooperation and up-and-down linkage, and improve the efficiency of system implementation. The fourth is to improve the accountability mechanism for system implementation. We must resolutely investigate and deal with acts of slacking, making choices and discounting in the process of system implementation, and seriously pursue the responsibility, so as to put an end to chaos, abuse, inaction and slowness, and ensure that the system is implemented in place.
Strengthen supervision over the implementation of the system. After the establishment of the system, cadres are the decisive factor. Whether the Socialism with Chinese characteristics system can be strictly implemented and whether the institutional advantages can be transformed into governance efficiency depends on cadres. The key to strengthening the supervision of system implementation is to strengthen the supervision of cadres and improve the quality and efficiency of system implementation. It is necessary to urge the broad masses of cadres to strengthen the responsibility of system implementation, improve the system consciousness, and actively contribute wisdom and strength to the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. It is necessary to urge the broad masses of cadres to perform their duties, exercise their powers and carry out their work in strict accordance with the system, improve the system’s execution and governance capabilities, and actively contribute to the overall layout of the "five in one" and the coordinated promotion of the "four comprehensive" strategic layout. It is necessary to urge the broad masses of cadres to carry out the system to the letter, set an example for the broad masses, creatively implement the system, and promote the continuous self-improvement and development of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s system to maintain its vitality forever.
(Author: Peng Zhengde, Liu Zelan, both special researchers of Hunan Normal University Base, Socialism with Chinese characteristics Theoretical System Research Center, Hunan Province)
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