Call on the whole party to learn from party constitution, abide by party constitution, implement party constitution and safeguard party constitution, and convey firm confidence to the whole party and the whole country. Our party is making constant efforts to make itself healthier and welcome the arrival of "two hundred years".
Text/"Outlook" Newsweek reporter Han Bing
Do you know when Constitution of the Communist Party of China was born? Do you know what changes and evolutions party constitution has undergone in the course of nearly 95 years since the founding of the Party? As a qualified Communist party member of China, how can we deepen our understanding of the Party’s program and purpose, and what obligations and rights should we keep in mind? … … With the comprehensive promotion of "two studies and one doing" study and education, it has become a compulsory course for every Communist party member to read party constitution and learn party constitution sentence by sentence.
"party constitution is the fundamental law of the party and the general rule that the whole party must follow." Ye Duchu, a senior party building expert who has been engaged in party constitution research for a long time and a professor at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, told Outlook Newsweek that party constitution is both a regulation and a textbook: in the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s practice, party constitution is a synthesis of the party’s basic program and activity standards, which constitutes the party’s supreme law; For every communist party member, party constitution is a vivid textbook that condenses the basic knowledge of the Party and the standards of the Communist party member.
Party constitution, in this small red manual, we can see that the current party constitution was partially revised by The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and passed on November 14th, 2012. It is divided into general program and eleven chapters, with 53 articles and more than 17,000 words. It is not long, but it has a heavy weight.
"From the date of promulgation and implementation, a party constitution has written the overall history of party constitution and even the party and passed it on to future generations and the next generation in the form of collective memory." Ye Duchu said that party constitution is a torch that shines a party forward, and it has always been a milestone.
In the 90-odd years’ practice of the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s founding, the party’s system construction has always been closely integrated with the party’s development. Party constitution has a long history, from the birth of party constitution, the second largest part of the Party, to the 12th National Congress of the Party, which opened a new era of party constitution and inner-party regulations. Since the 12th National Congress of party constitution, it has been revised six times to achieve the 18th National Congress of party constitution. In party constitution, the nature and purpose of the Party, the Party’s theory, line, principles and policies, and the Party’s important propositions are condensed, which stipulate the Party’s important systems and institutional mechanisms, and even contain the fundamental code of conduct that the whole Party must abide by.
"Now there are only less than five years to achieve the first century goal. At this decisive moment, it is of extraordinary significance to call on all party member to study and practice party constitution." Ye Yuchu said.
According to many interviewed experts, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has owned more than 87 million party member since its founding nearly 95 years ago and it has been in power for more than 60 years. Every party member’s ideology, organizational discipline and code of conduct may affect the party’s ruling power and vitality. When the development of China has entered a critical stage, it is especially necessary for all party member to further strengthen their ideals and beliefs, improve their awareness of party spirit, and further enhance their awareness of politics, overall situation, core and conformity. Learning party constitution well, establishing a firm sense of party constitution and establishing party constitution’s authority are just an important part of strengthening the "Four Consciousnesses".
"If every party member can really learn party constitution and make good use of party constitution, he can not only purify and strengthen himself, but also purify and strengthen our whole party and society." Ye Duchu said that the practical action of turning party constitution into millions of party member will generate inexhaustible power, while internalizing party constitution in the heart and externalizing it in action requires a process of continuous efforts.
"Establish" the authority of party constitution.
It is inconceivable for a party that has been in power for a long time in a big country like China without a fine tradition and a set of effective institutional measures. Governing the country and rejuvenating the party is a long-term road, and a party constitution with complete theory, substantial content, strict discipline, democracy and order and corresponding specific laws and regulations are indispensable.
It is our party’s consistent historical tradition that the Central Committee emphasizes respecting party constitution and learning from party constitution. "party constitution not only condenses the fruits of advancing with the times obtained by the party in practical exploration, but also serves as a guide for our party to move towards a century." Ye Yuchu said.
On November 16th, 2012, it was the second day after the Supreme Leader was elected as the new General Secretary, and the third day after the party constitution Amendment was adopted at the 18th National Congress. On this day, General Secretary of the Supreme Leader published a signed article entitled "Seriously study party constitution and strictly abide by party constitution". This concise text of about 2,500 words is far-reaching and concise. It is not only a mobilization and call for all party comrades, but also a solemn statement of "starting from me" as a leader and a solemn declaration of abiding by his duties.
In this article, the Supreme Leader proposed that leading cadres in party member should be models to learn from party constitution and abide by party constitution. Leading cadres at all levels should take learning party constitution as a compulsory course, and comrades who take up new leadership positions should take learning party constitution as the first lesson and take the lead in observing the provisions of party constitution. Ye Duchu said, "‘ Compulsory course ’ 、‘ The first lesson ’ The formulation is meaningful, highly realistic and highly targeted. "
Since then, on several important occasions, the central high-level officials have repeatedly emphasized the importance of firmly establishing party constitution consciousness. On October 12th, 2015, Politburo meeting of the Chinese Communist Party pointed out that in order to strictly manage the Party in an all-round way, we must first respect party constitution and "establish the authority of party constitution".
"It is the consistent tradition of our party to establish the authority of party constitution." Huang Yibing, deputy director of the Third Research Department of the Party History Research Office of the Central Committee, told Outlook Newsweek that as early as the early days of the founding of the Party, our Party had carried out conscious and in-depth education on the concept of party constitution, so that Communist party member would never forget his surname "Party" at all times and remember that he was a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and was infinitely loyal to the Party and the people. "It is these powerful educations that have given the Communist Party of China (CPC) strong cohesion and mobilization."
Party constitution’s authority is established because party constitution embodies the important achievements of the Party’s practical innovation, theoretical innovation and institutional innovation.
"party constitution set up the theoretical banner of our party, which is the only carrier to raise the latest achievements of Marxism in China to the guiding ideology of the party; Party constitution is the fundamental law of the party, the general constitution and rules of the party, and the fundamental code of conduct that the whole party must abide by; Party constitution is the basic standard of party member’s party spirit training and cultivation; Party constitution is the fundamental basis for strictly administering the party in an all-round way. " Huang Yibing said: party constitution plays an important guiding role in advancing the cause of the Party and strengthening Party building. party constitution is an important symbol to measure the continuous maturity of our Party, and it is also the fundamental guarantee for our Party to maintain its youthful vitality and remain invincible forever.
Judging from the current development of China, whether the goal of "two hundred years" can be achieved is related to the future of the ruling party and the well-being of 1.3 billion people. The construction of laws and regulations within the party based on party constitution will play an important role in promoting the party’s task of reform and development in the new era. From a long-term perspective, no matter whether the Party manages inner-party affairs or manages the country, it cannot deviate from party constitution’s guidance.
At the same time, as a big party that has been in power for a long time, facing more than 87 million party member and more than 4.3 million grass-roots party organizations, it is even more necessary to set up party constitution and put the party’s system and discipline ahead. Ye Duchu said that emphasizing "respect for party constitution" has a strong realistic pertinence to adapt to the current situation of the party member team and the new situation of comprehensively and strictly administering the party.
Ye Duchu analyzed that our party has never been so big and its composition is relatively complicated as it is now. For example, there are great differences in the internal economic situation, political experience, cultural background, living conditions and lifestyle of party member teams in a place or industry; At the same time, today, our party member team has a lot of talents and heroes, the overall quality is constantly improving, and their thoughts are extremely active, which is quite modern. "The change of party member’s team needs to strengthen the party’s centripetal force and cohesion by establishing party constitution’s authority, so as to ensure that the whole party is United and orderly."
Looking back on the international and historical lessons, Ye Duchu reminded that whether party constitution’s authority can stand is a big problem, which is directly related to whether the party’s theory, program, line and policies can be applied to practice, to the party’s combat effectiveness and cohesion, and even to the party’s development and survival.
Ye Duchu recalled that before the disintegration of the former Soviet Union, under the background of long-term ruling, party constitution’s authority gradually lost, and the cadres of the CPSU party member began to become numb to the bad phenomena in the party, unable to distinguish between right and wrong, and the party gradually lost its binding force and appeal to party member, and finally lost its ruling position. "This lesson is very profound."
"Many things, especially those related to the future and destiny of the party and the right and wrong within the party, we can find the basis and standards from party constitution." Ye Duchu said that party constitution’s authority should be "established" and "reliable", so as to "establish prestige, virtue, rules and trust" and enhance all party member’s sense of identity, belonging and law-abiding towards party constitution.
Learn to grasp that rich connotation of party constitution.
"A party constitution and its effective implementation bear a great mission. It is a banner and a command. It will guide and standardize the actions of more than 80 million party member and will play a role in uniting hundreds of millions of people with one heart and one mind." Ye Duchu said: party constitution has the nature of the highest law after it was passed by the Party’s National Congress, and it must be universally studied and strictly implemented by the whole Party.
As the general constitution of the Party, party constitution is extremely rich in content and connotation. As a party member, how to learn from party constitution? What should we focus on?
Ye Duchu believes that learning from party constitution should not only grasp the new contents and requirements in party constitution, but also review the contents and regulations in party constitution that have never changed as before.
To learn from party constitution, we should not only grasp the recent summary of China’s new practical achievements, theoretical achievements and institutional achievements in its development, but also grasp the basic principles that play a long-term guiding role in the development of the Party.
Ye Duchu introduced, for example, the key words in party constitution’s general program about the four basic requirements of party building: adhering to the party’s basic line, emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts, serving the people wholeheartedly, and adhering to democratic centralism, which have not changed since the 14th Party Congress.
"party constitution’s core content has universal validity. Apart from different historical conditions and discourse environments, we can clearly see: the establishment of party member’s dominant position, the implementation of the collective decision-making system, the recognition of the overall synergy of the organization, and the equality of everyone in party member before discipline, without any exceptions and specialities." Ye Duchu said that the content written in party constitution is scientific, legitimate and necessary. In learning, we should grasp the dialectical relationship of keeping pace with the times and as always, and give greater play to the tension of party constitution.
“纲举目张，学习党章首先要抓住党章总纲。”多位受访专家都认为，总纲中涵盖了党的性质和宗旨、党的理论和路线方针政策、党的重要主张、党的长远目标、当前目标，党对党员和党组织的基本要求等重要内容。
学习总纲，首先围绕党的性质、宗旨来学。
翻开党章，总纲开篇指出：中国共产党是中国工人阶级的先锋队，同时是中国人民和中华民族的先锋队。总纲还表明，中国共产党坚持全心全意为人民服务。
“总纲中关于党的性质和宗旨的规定，集中反映了中国共产党为了谁、依靠谁的政治立场。”黄一兵说，学习党章这部分内容，就能够进一步深刻认识和理解密切联系群众是我们党的最大政治优势，脱离群众是我们党执政后的最大危险。
学习总纲，要抓住党的理论和路线方针政策。
黄一兵说，总纲深刻阐述了我们党的理论和路线方针政策，公开回答了我们党举什么旗、走什么路、以什么样的精神状态、朝着什么样的目标继续前进的重大问题。“坚持和发展中国特色社会主义是贯穿于党的理论、路线、方针、政策中的一条主线，也是贯穿于十八大党章总纲中的一条主线，是我们学习党章的聚焦点、着力点和落脚点。”
“十八大党章具有宏阔、精深、鲜明、富有远见卓识等特点，是中国共产党迈步百年实现全面建成小康社会目标的具有决定性意义的伟大里程碑。”叶笃初说，十八大党章将中国特色社会主义之大成，从理论、道路到制度等等，以党内最高法的形式完整牢实地固定下来。
例如，在十八大党章中，加进了“确立中国特色社会主义制度”一语，由此就把全党历经艰辛、倍加珍惜而长期坚持和不断开创发展的这条道路、这个理论体系、这个制度形成整体贯通起来。这正是我们党的道路自信、理论自信和制度自信。
“党章总纲中关于道路、理论、制度等点睛之笔，彰显了当代共产党人的自信，将之写入党内根本大法，可谓国之重器，不只是对我们现在，而且对党和国家的将来、对后代子孙，都有很重要的意义。”叶笃初说。
学习总纲，应该把握住党的重要主张和时代使命。
黄一兵说，总纲清晰标识了我们党的重要主张，全面展示了我们党治国理政的方略和党的建设的新要求。“十八大党章总纲阐述了建设中国特色社会主义的总依据、总布局、总任务，也阐述了夺取中国特色社会主义新胜利的基本要求等。”
Party constitution is the highest law in the Party, and it is also the behavior guidance of every party member, and it is the fundamental standard to measure whether party member is qualified.
"Whether a party member is qualified or not depends first on his attitude towards party constitution, whether his words and deeds really conform to party constitution’s regulations and whether he can fully fulfill party member’s obligations. This is the fundamental standard for a qualified party member." Ye Yuchu said.
Therefore, to learn from party constitution, we must firmly grasp the provisions on the obligations and rights of Party members in party constitution.
For example, party constitution’s article 3, "party member must fulfill the following obligations", contains eight aspects, which provide important guidance for how to be a qualified party member.
"The contents of these eight aspects are not only the basic obligations that every Communist party member must always undertake under the new historical conditions, but also the basic follow-up to become a qualified Communist party member and the yardstick for the action of contemporary Chinese Communist party member." Huang Yibing said: in contrast to party constitution’s request and focusing on the new development of the cause of the party and the state, the criteria for qualified party member can be further refined and summarized as follows: strengthening ideals and beliefs, firmly and consciously maintaining a high degree of ideological and political action with the CPC Central Committee with the supreme leader as the general secretary; Practice the Party’s purpose, maintain the feelings of public servants, keep in mind that Communist party member will always be an ordinary member of the working people, keep close contact with the masses, and serve the people wholeheartedly; Strengthen party spirit training and moral cultivation, be awed, hold a ruler, be honest in politics, strictly manage the family, and build a defense line against corruption and change; Always keep the spirit of pioneering and enterprising.
In different historical periods, party constitution’s demands on party member and party member’s rights and obligations are not static, but constantly improved with the changes of the times. "One of the principles formulated by party constitution is that most people can write what they can, and don’t write what they can’t. Being broad outside the party and strict within the party have been written into the requirements of party constitution, which is the direction of party member cadres’ efforts and the benchmark and scale. " Ye Yuchu said that the provisions on party member’s rights and obligations in the party constitution of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China are very specific, and every party member can compare them. "What is written in party constitution is achievable. If it is done, it is qualified party member. If it is done well, it is excellent party member."
Ye Duchu believes that party constitution should pay special attention to learning the requirements of democratic centralism in the provisions on the party’s organizational principles and discipline requirements.
Democratic centralism is the party’s fundamental organizational principle and the application of the mass line in the party’s life. Historically, our party was established in accordance with the principle of democratic centralism, which has been continuously enriched and developed in the long-term practice of revolution, construction and reform. The history of the party has repeatedly proved that when democratic centralism is well adhered to, the party will be clean and vigorous, and its cause will flourish; Whenever democratic centralism is destroyed, contradictions and problems within the party will breed and spread, the party’s atmosphere will be damaged, and the party’s cause will encounter setbacks.
"Since the reform and opening up, according to the actual needs and practical experience, the provisions and exposition of democratic centralism in party constitution have also been improved. Facts have proved that the democratic centralism stipulated by party constitution can stand the test of history and can be done well." Ye Yuchu said.
Release the positive energy of party constitution
Party constitution’s vitality lies in action. According to the experts interviewed, party constitution is by no means a lofty decoration, but must be followed by every party organization at all levels and every party member.
Observing the problems and lessons in history and reality, we can see that individual party member is weak in party spirit, weak in party constitution’s concept, inconsistent in words and deeds, and inconsistent in appearance. He regards party constitution as having nothing, those who violate the rules and regulations, and those who openly slander and trample on party constitution.
"This kind of behavior is absolutely intolerable to the party. We feel sorry and even scorn for party member who does not act according to party constitution and violates the law. The negative case is a contrast and vigilance for all party member, which can shock and educate many people." Ye Duchu said, adhering to the correct principle or the wrong principle, consciously implementing party constitution or disobeying others and even trampling on party constitution, are compulsory questions for every party member.
How can party constitution’s positive energy be revealed and brought into play?
According to the analysis of the interviewed experts, it depends not only on the extension and application of party constitution in real life, but also on the conscious actions of party member and the active supervision of the masses.
There are two ways to release the positive energy of party constitution:
On the one hand, the role of party constitution can not be played without the simultaneous improvement and implementation of specific laws and regulations, including individual laws and regulations or departmental laws and regulations, as well as a series of measures such as implementation rules.
For example, the newly revised Code of Integrity and Self-discipline in the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Regulations on Disciplinary Actions in the Communist Party of China (CPC) are based on party constitution, which is the concretization of the provisions in party constitution. Only when the guidelines focus on moral integrity, the regulations focus on establishing rules, and the inner-party regulations work together can we establish noble moral sentiments, strictly observe the party’s discipline and "establish" the authority of party constitution.
On the other hand, the release of party constitution’s positive energy cannot be separated from the actual actions of every party member.
"One action is more important than a dozen programs." Huang Yibing said that learning from party constitution should be combined with practicing party constitution, learning should be combined with changing work style, promoting work and promoting development, and solving practical problems should be regarded as an important criterion to test the effectiveness of learning.
"We should closely contact our own ideological reality, work reality and the reality of reform, development and stability, conduct targeted studies, thoroughly study measures and methods to solve problems and improve work, and make great efforts to implement them, so that party constitution’s demands will become the conscious action of the vast number of party member." Huang Yibing said.
"To learn from party constitution, we should also combine it with reducing and breaking our outdated and backward concepts, and combine it with analyzing and criticizing negative cases, so that the pros and cons complement each other, break first and then stand, and break and stand. This is the dialectics of learning and applying party constitution." Ye Duchu said, to learn from party constitution, we should combine subjectivity with objectivity, combine knowledge with practice, and use criticism and self-criticism to put an end to the problems of "learning belongs to learning, using belongs to using", "saying one thing and doing another", and our attitude towards party constitution should be consistent with words and deeds, so as to enhance purity and firmness.
"At the same time, we can’t simply regard party constitution’s party rules as being imposed on ourselves by some external force ‘ Frame ’ Party constitution should not be regarded as a bondage. " Ye Duchu said that party constitution embodies the overall interests, will and demands of communist party people, and it gives every party member vitality, a weapon, and a vast world for exerting its intelligence.
"To make a metaphor, party constitution is like a mirror, through which every party member can see his own ideological and operational defects and learn from them.
Practice party constitution to correct it, which requires every party member to take the initiative. Ye Duchu said that he called on the whole party to learn party constitution’s party rules, learn a series of speeches, and be a qualified party member, sending a clear signal to the whole party and the people of the whole country that our party is constantly making efforts to make itself healthier and welcome the arrival of two hundred years. "We must have firm confidence in this." □