Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 85 Clash at the Standing Committee Meeting

The mournful music rose again, echoing throughout the vast farewell hall.

The master of ceremonies, presiding over the ceremony, announced in a somber voice: "We bow three times to the remains of Comrade Tao Sizhong!"

Everyone present, regardless of their true feelings, stood solemnly and bowed deeply toward Tao Sizhong's remains at the command.

One bow... a second bow... a third bow...

After the bowing was completed, the mournful music turned into a soothing farewell song.

People took turns circling the coffin to say their final goodbyes.

Xu Youwei shook hands with Tao Sizhong's wife and children, his tone heavy with sorrow, and offered a few words of comfort.

When Wu Zhiyuan saw Lin Keke, there was no sorrow in his eyes, only helplessness.

……

Shortly after Tao Sizhong's funeral, the Standing Committee of the Longcheng Municipal Party Committee convened.

The meeting proceeded smoothly according to the established agenda, and approved the personnel adjustment plan that had been discussed in the previous five-person group meeting.

Ding Yiyi officially assumed the position of Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection in charge of daily operations; Lang Wenping was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection; and Yuan Jin was appointed Director of the Finance Bureau…

This power "sharing" has temporarily come to an end.

The real competition began when the meeting discussed key tasks for the near future.

Xu Youwei, who chaired the meeting, said unhurriedly, "According to the meeting agenda, we will now discuss the key tasks."

A while ago, the city launched a campaign to level graves, piloting it in Haihe County. Let's discuss this.

Lin Xue, the secretary of the municipal discipline inspection commission, was the first to speak: "I think it is necessary to conduct a deep reflection on the pilot project of leveling graves in Haihe County."

The pilot program was criticized for being simplistic, crude, and forced.

In pursuit of a so-called "grave leveling rate," some townships have used machinery to forcibly demolish villagers' ancestral graves, severely hurting public sentiment and exacerbating conflicts between officials and the people.

Any work we do, especially reforms involving traditional customs, must adhere to the principle of gradual progress, respect public opinion, and be mindful of methods and approaches.

This campaign-style approach contradicts the spirit of the rule of law and the people-centered development philosophy.

I recommend an immediate and complete halt to the pilot program in Haihe County, followed by a thorough evaluation.

Zhang Chong, a member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and Executive Vice Mayor, is a close confidant of Ai Kun. He countered, "I have a different opinion. The original intention of leveling graves and restoring farmland was good; the goal was to save land resources."

Since the pilot program began in Haihe County, a significant amount of new arable land has been added, which is a tangible result.

There may indeed be some methodological problems in our work, but these are difficult to completely avoid during the reform process.

We cannot give up just because we encounter resistance; the key is to strengthen guidance and improve measures.

Next, Lang Yuanyuan, member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and Minister of Publicity, said: "The pilot project of leveling graves in Haihe County has aroused considerable controversy on the Internet and among the masses, with almost unanimous negative comments."

This reminds us that if a policy does not gain the understanding and support of the majority of the people, its rigid implementation will not only be difficult to sustain, but will also seriously damage the credibility of the Party committee and the government.

Funeral reform is the right direction, but it must be implemented strategically, relying more on publicity, guidance, and incentives rather than coercive measures.

According to the rules of procedure of the Standing Committee, the last person to express their opinion is required to prevent the top leader from taking the lead and setting the pace.

Although there is no rule that the mayor should speak second to last, this is the customary practice.

However, seeing that the opposition to leveling the graves was gaining the upper hand, Ai Kun rushed to speak: "Comrades, let me say a few words, level the graves and restore farmland..."

Xu Youwei calmly interrupted Ai Kun: "Comrade Ai Kun, according to the rules of procedure, there are other comrades who have not yet spoken."

We fully promote democracy, allowing every member of the Standing Committee to speak freely. After everyone has finished speaking, you and I will give our final opinions.

Ai Kun nodded reluctantly, his face grim.

After the other Standing Committee members finished speaking, Ai Kun said: "Comrades, our arable land resources are very scarce. Protecting arable land is protecting our food supply."

The pilot program in Haihe County was launched under this sense of urgency.

Indeed, some problems have arisen in our work, but these are problems encountered during the exploration process. We cannot negate the entire direction because of these problems, nor can we throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Leveling graves and restoring farmland benefits the present generation and future generations.

We must believe that the majority of the people are reasonable and will support us as long as we do our job well.

My idea is that the campaign to level graves should not only continue, but should also be promoted throughout the city…”

Xu Youwei spoke last: "Comrades, everyone has just expressed very good opinions, and all the viewpoints are very insightful. This shows that we are serious and responsible about this work."

Leveling graves and restoring farmland has its positive aspects from the long-term perspective of protecting arable land and changing customs.

Then, he changed the subject: "However, the correctness of the purpose should never be equated with the rationality of the method and process, much less become an excuse to ignore the will and feelings of the masses!"

Using machinery to forcibly level graves, and even implementing local policies such as suspending employees from their jobs, salaries, and social security benefits if they refuse to do so, is this really doing community work? This is clearly exacerbating the conflict!

This contradicts China's millennia-old burial customs and traditional culture, ignoring the people's respect for their ancestors. Remembering one's ancestors fosters virtue and morality; forcibly severing this emotional bond will have extremely serious consequences!

During my last investigation, I discovered a series of problems, including illegal land occupation for cemetery construction, increased burden on the public, and strained relations between officials and the public.

My opinion is that the forced leveling of graves should be stopped immediately, a comprehensive evaluation and in-depth reflection on the pilot program in Haihe County should be conducted, and the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection should follow up and investigate any illegal or disciplinary issues that exist in the work.

Now, let's vote on the proposal!

The Standing Committee members voted by raising their hands. Tao Sizhong was dead, and Ai Kun lost one of his staunch supporters. In addition, Lang Yuanyuan stood on Xu Youwei's side, and as a result, Xu Youwei won.

This is not only a victory for Xu Youwei on this issue, but also shows that he has taken control of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee.

……

Lang Wenping officially went to the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Wu Zhiyuan is the deputy head of the First Secretariat Section, in charge of the work of the section.

The first section served the main leader of the municipal party committee, namely Xu Youwei.

The Chinese language is profound and extensive.

The document explicitly stipulates that only leaders at the vice-ministerial level or above can be assigned full-time secretaries.

Wu Zhiyuan works in the Secretariat Section 1, which does not qualify him as a full-time secretary, so he is not in violation of regulations.

The work of the Secretariat can be summarized into four main tasks:

Government services, such as drafting speeches for leaders and tracking the implementation of leaders' instructions;

Affairs coordination, such as coordinating Xu Youwei's daily schedule, including preliminary coordination, route planning and on-site support for activities such as research, meetings and receptions;

Document circulation, such as the review, registration and circulation of various documents, reports and information submitted to Xu Youwei;

Information support involves collecting information and compiling daily reports or special reports to provide leaders with timely insights into the city's situation and make informed decisions.

The work of the Secretariat is actually very complicated. For example, the Party Secretary's mailbox on People's Daily Online or the Party Secretary's mailbox on the municipal government's official website receives a large number of letters from the public every day.

Xu Youwei couldn't possibly reply to every single letter, and he probably wouldn't even read most of them. If he were to read and reply to every letter carefully, he wouldn't be able to do anything else.

The work of reading letters, coordinating, and replying is done by the Secretariat Section 1.

In the evening, Qin Xiaokun, a classmate I hadn't seen for many years, invited me to dinner.

Qin Xiaokun was mischievous from a young age. In elementary school, he would peep at girls going to the toilet. In junior high school, he did something even more outrageous.