Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 412 The Ideological Clash Between the 12 Leaders

The onlookers pointed and whispered among themselves, "That's right, it's too much!"

"I know this old lady; she lives nearby, and her family is indeed struggling financially..."

"That's just how urban management officers are; they bully the weak and fear the strong!"

The portly city management officer, enraged, pointed at Wu Zhiyuan and yelled, "Stop inciting the crowd! If you obstruct us from performing our duties again, believe me, I'll take you away too! What unit are you from? What's your name?"

Wu Zhiyuan said coldly, "My name is Wu Zhiyuan, the county magistrate of Qingyan County People's Government!"

Although the fat city management officer didn't know what the county head looked like, he did know that a young county head named Wu Zhiyuan had come to Qingyan County.

He stared wide-eyed at Wu Zhiyuan, who looked dignified and upright. Could he really be the county magistrate?

"Are you really County Magistrate Wu?"

A bystander said, "That's County Chief Wu! No doubt about it! I watch 'Qingyan News Broadcast' every night."

The chubby city management officer panicked and explained, "County Chief Wu, this street is under strict management. The bureau has ordered that no stalls or vendors are allowed. We are just following orders from our superiors!"

"County Chief Wu, the bureau is cracking down hard and the performance evaluations are strict. They deduct points and money for every stall they find; there's nothing we can do about it."

Wu Zhiyuan could understand the difficulties faced by grassroots cadres, but the urban management's methods were wrong. He softened his tone slightly: "It is correct that the higher authorities require that the city's appearance be well managed, but is this the way to manage it?"

Pushing and shoving an elderly person who is unable to even kill a chicken, and overturning their livelihood on the ground—is this how you work?

Did your superiors tell you to bully ordinary people? Did the performance evaluation criteria say you should act arrogantly towards the masses?

The chubby city management officer didn't dare to argue; he lowered his head, like a child who had made a mistake and was being scolded by his parents.

The crowd grew larger and larger, including some of the vendors who had been driven away.

As if they had found a pillar of support, they began to pour out their grievances one after another:

"County Magistrate Wu, you must speak up for us!"

"County Chief Wu, we run a small stall, working from dawn till dusk, just trying to earn a meager living to support our families. They chase us around every day, like they're chasing dogs!"

"There are sick people in the family, and the children need tuition fees, so we rely on secretly setting up shop for a few hours at night."

"When they arrive, we work for days for nothing, sometimes even losing our initial investment!"

"They're ruthless when it comes to fines, and their attitude is quite fierce!"

The old woman selling roasted sweet potatoes cried out, "County Magistrate Wu, please be my judge! My son is bedridden and needs medicine, and my granddaughter needs money for school. I really have no other choice."

……

Wu Zhiyuan gestured for everyone to be quiet.

The crowd immediately fell silent.

"First of all, I want to apologize to everyone! It was our fault for not doing our job well, and our management methods were too simplistic and harsh, causing this elderly gentleman and everyone else to suffer and be wronged!"

People were very surprised.

Wu Zhiyuan, as the county magistrate, actually apologized!

They had never seen a county leader apologize in public.

Wu Zhiyuan continued, "The pedestrian street is the face of Qingyan, and it is also for the convenience of our people's lives and leisure."

It's true that you should keep a clean face, but if your face is clean but lacks warmth and human touch, and is cold and desolate, what kind of face is that? It becomes just a decoration!

Drive away the people who earn their living with their own hands, drive away the vibrant atmosphere of daily life—is this the kind of city we want?

Is this the tidiness we want? Isn't this putting the cart before the horse?

Wu Zhiyuan then changed the subject: "However, if everyone sets up stalls without paying attention to hygiene, litters, causes sewage to flow everywhere, and blocks traffic, that won't do either!"

It affects the city's appearance and people's shopping experience, ultimately leading to business failure, right?

The vendors chimed in, "That's exactly right!"

"County Chief Wu is right!"

"We cannot go from one extreme to another!"

Wu Zhiyuan continued, "Therefore, my idea is that we cannot ban it outright, nor can we let it go unchecked."

We need to establish rules and employ effective methods to ensure that everyone has a place to do business while maintaining a clean, tidy, and orderly pedestrian street. This is what we call a combination of guidance and control!

He looked around at the crowd and raised his voice: "I want to make a statement here: the county government will immediately study the matter and designate specific areas for stalls in suitable locations on the pedestrian street, such as around the small square or at intersections that won't obstruct traffic. During designated times, everyone will be allowed to set up stalls and conduct business!"

Someone in the crowd started clapping, and thunderous applause erupted.

Wu Zhiyuan continued, "However, we also need to establish rules. First, we must operate within the areas designated by the government and at the designated times. We cannot run around or exceed the permitted hours."

Second, food hygiene and safety must be guaranteed, and the quality of goods must be up to standard. Inferior goods must not be passed off as superior ones, and short weights and measures must not be taken.

Third, it is essential to maintain the cleanliness of the area around your stall, taking your own trash with you and ensuring the area is clean when you leave.

Can everyone adhere to these three points? Can we supervise each other?

The vendors all answered in unison, "Yes!"

One vendor shouted, "County Chief Wu, as long as we can set up our stall, we promise to keep it cleaner than our own homes!"

"Yes! We'll keep an eye on each other. Whoever breaks the rules will be kicked out of here!"

Wu Zhiyuan smiled with satisfaction: "Great! I believe in everyone! What we want is a pedestrian street that is clean, orderly, and full of life and laughter!"

What we want is a pedestrian street that the people of Qingyan want to come to, that they don't want to leave once they're there, and that outsiders see as a place where Qingyan is warm, welcoming, and vibrant!

……

The news that Wu Zhiyuan went to the pedestrian street and that vendors were allowed to set up stalls under certain conditions quickly reached Liang Dongming's ears.

Liang Dongming was reviewing documents in his office when Deng Haidong, a member of the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee and director of the County Party Committee Office, knocked on the door and came in. After reporting on other work, he casually mentioned Wu Zhiyuan's visit to the pedestrian street for research and his statement.

Liang Dongming's face immediately darkened, and he slammed the document in his hand heavily on the table: "This is utter nonsense! What kind of place is the pedestrian street?"

That's the face of Qingyan, a high-quality street that has been built with great effort!

Is this a place where you can set up stalls and vendors anywhere? What are those small stalls and vendors?

Street vendors are encroaching on public spaces, leaving garbage everywhere, causing oily fumes and creating a smoky, unpleasant atmosphere!

What is Wu Zhiyuan trying to do? Turn a perfectly good pedestrian street into a vegetable market? Or a night market with food stalls?

Liang Dongming paced back and forth in his office, his anger escalating with each word.

Does Wu Zhiyuan even understand what urban management or city appearance means?

He thought this was an attempt to please the common people, some kind of populist show?

This is making a joke of the county's image! It's a classic case of disregarding the big picture and being politically insensitive!

Deng Haidong used to be a confidant of Yuan Jin, but after Yuan Jin left, he quickly switched his allegiance to Liang Dongming.

However, he didn't want to offend Wu Zhiyuan too much, after all, in officialdom, it's best to make as few enemies as possible.

So he said insincerely, "Secretary Liang, County Chief Wu may have acted on impulse, feeling sorry for the old lady."

"Compassion? I think that's just womanly kindness!"

With him doing this, how can the Urban Management Bureau carry out its work?

When the other vendors find out, won't they all flock to the pedestrian street?

If management gets out of control and the filth and disorder recur, who will take responsibility? Can Wu Zhiyuan bear that responsibility?

In the city's campaign to create a civilized city, Qingyan County is definitely going to be at the bottom!

Liang Dongming immediately dialed Wu Zhiyuan's number.

"Zhiyuan, this is Liang Dongming. I heard that you promised in front of many people on the pedestrian street to allow street vendors to set up stalls freely? Is that true?"

Wu Zhiyuan had anticipated Liang Dongming's accusations and calmly replied, "Secretary Liang, yes, that's true."

However, I am not simply opening up the market; rather, I plan to regulate and guide the market while strengthening management, that is, to combine regulation and guidance...

Liang Dongming interrupted Wu Zhiyuan: "The pedestrian street is a key demonstration area that the county is building, representing the image of Qingyan!"

A significant amount of money was invested in its construction, with the aim of enhancing the city's image and improving the business environment.

If you let all those small vendors in now, making a mess and filthy, what kind of order is that?

Wouldn't all the previous investments have been wasted? What about Qingyan's public image?

Wu Zhiyuan patiently explained, "Secretary Liang, I completely agree with what you said about improving the city's image and enhancing the business environment."

But I think that a city's taste is not just about skyscrapers and a glamorous appearance, but also about its warmth, its inclusiveness, and its concern for the livelihoods of ordinary people.

The business environment is not only for large enterprises and projects, but also for creating a fair and convenient space for countless individual business owners to survive.

"If the pedestrian street is built, but people are unwilling or afraid to go there, or find it inconvenient or uninteresting, then its value is greatly diminished."

"Zhiyuan, you're using a fallacy! Management and development are never opposing concepts!"

Strict management is for better development and for the benefit of the majority!

Those street vendors are highly mobile and difficult to manage; food safety, environmental hygiene, and public security risks are all problems.

If you let them in, who will be responsible if problems arise? If there are public complaints or media exposure, will you be the one explaining things, or will I?

"Secretary Liang, these problems do exist, but we cannot adopt a lazy, one-size-fits-all approach of prohibiting them just because they are difficult to manage."

It is precisely because there are problems that our government needs to take the initiative to regulate, guide, and serve.

We can designate specific areas, stipulate operating hours, clarify hygiene standards, and strengthen daily inspections and spot checks.

If we manage these issues properly, they can be largely controlled.

Moreover, this can also solve the livelihood problems of some low-income groups, revitalize the night market economy, and add to the city's vibrant atmosphere, which is actually another way to promote the business environment.

"The atmosphere of everyday life?" Liang Dongming sneered. "County Chief Wu, I think you softened after hearing a few complaints from those small vendors and were blinded by the so-called slogans of being close to the people!"

You need to be clear about your identity. You are the county head, and you need to consider the overall development of the county, the overall image of Qingyan, and its long-term interests!

It's not about becoming some kind of upright and benevolent official to satisfy the immediate interests of a small group of people!

Did you consult the merchants on the pedestrian street before doing this?

Have you considered the overall business layout of the pedestrian street?

Have you considered the potential chain reaction and the endless management troubles that might follow?

Liang Dongming paused, then said in an unquestionable tone, "I disagree with this! The management regulations for the pedestrian street must be strictly enforced; there can be no exceptions!"

Your statement is very inappropriate and must be corrected immediately!

"Immediately have the Urban Management Bureau and the Subdistrict Office issue a notice reiterating the rule that street vendors are strictly prohibited on pedestrian streets, and increase patrols!"