Friday, November 7, 2014

Tibet: Cadres on both Sides

Bad weather in Tibet?
A couple of days ago, Reuters reported that Chen Quanguo, the Party Secretary in the Tibetan Autonomous Religious (TAR) vowed to severely punish Communist cadres in Tibet who 'harbor fantasies' (or illusions) about the Dalai Lama.
The article quoted by Reuters appeared in a front-page of The Tibet Daily: "As for cadres who harbor fantasies about the 14th Dalai [Lama] Group, follow the Dalai Group, participate in supporting separatist infiltration sabotage activities, (they will be) strictly and severely punished according to the law and party disciplinary measures."
Reuters concluded that "Chen's denunciation of the Dalai Lama signals a hardening stance against the Nobel Peace Prize winner whom they label a 'wolf in sheep's clothing'."
Voice of America quoted Ye Dongsong, a senior official of the Central Commission for Discipline Commission (CCDI), the party's internal discipline watchdog, who headed an 'inspection team' to Tibet and warned the local authorities to focus on 'neutralizing separatists and maintaining social stability'.
Ye would have said, "some officials in Tibet still sympathize with the Dalai Lama because of their religious beliefs."
VOA added: "The article provided no estimation of how many Communist Party officials have sympathies or links with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader."
The context of Chen's remarks is a meeting of the Standing Committee of the TAR Regional Party which followed Ye Dongsong's visit to Tibet to check on the corruption of the local Party.
Since President Xi Jinping started his campaign to catch 'the tigers and the flies' involved in corruption, CCDI's teams have been roaming around the Middle Kingdom to unearth corruption. Many heads have already rolled down, including in the PLA (the latest being Lt. Gen. Yang Jinshan, a former Commander of the Tibet Military Area, see The Fall of A powerful General).
In Tibet, the situation is different than in the rest of China, as a 'separatism' factor is an extra headache for the CCDI's inspectors and Xi Jinping.
Chen Quanguo's remarks should be seen in this context.
The Party has two enemies instead of one: separatism is added to corruption.
Here are Chen's remarks about 'separatism' and 'people on both sides'.
On the one hand, one should insist and continue to fight corruption. On the other hand, one should struggle against separatism, build a clean government; combating corruption is an important guarantee for the success of the struggle against separatism.
An important part of the struggle for a clean government is the performance of the party members and cadres in the struggle against separatism and anti-corruption.
One should take seriously the struggle against separatism and worry about the outcome of the struggle against separatism; one should not believe in the 14th Dalai group’s fantasies (illusions), or follow the Dalai group; one should beware infiltration and sabotage activities in which are involved separatist party cadres. Indiscipline will be strictly and severely punished according to the law. Party members and cadres, especially leading cadres at all levels, involved in the maintenance of unity of the motherland, should carry out this important principle of struggle against separatism; they should always firmly take a clear stand; they should have a unified understanding; they can’t be ‘people on both sides’ [with the Dalai Lama and the Party]. 
Though Tibet was supposed to have been 'liberated' more than 60 years ago, this clearly shows that some Communist cadres are still on 'both sides' and worship the Dalai Lama.
It will be easier for Xi Jinping and his colleague Wang Qishan, the boss of the CCDI to catch some tigers and some flies, than to change the inner faith of the Tibetans in their leader.
I am posting a rough translation of the article of the Tibet Daily:

Chen Quanguo presided over a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Autonomous Region’s Party
Tibet Daily
November 5, 2014

On November 4 in the afternoon, the Standing Committee of the regional party committee held a meeting to convey the spirit of the speeches of Xi Jinping and the report of the inspection team [of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection or CCDI] which inspected the situation in Tibet and gave its feedback for rectification work.
The Autonomous Region [TAR] Party Secretary Chen Quanguo presided over the meeting.

The meeting noted General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech in which he insisted that the Party must manage the party’s affairs strictly with the correct attitude. One should follow the orders of Comrade Xi Jinping for building a clean government and combat corruption with a firm determination.
The Inspection team has shown the direction to follow.
We should conscientiously study and implement the important speech of General Secretary Xi Jinping and [CCDI] Secretary Wang Qishan and implement their important instructions and follow the requirements for an honest government. One should combat corruption while keeping in mind the entire process of development and stability work, in order to promote leapfrog development and lasting stability in Tibet.
The meeting noted that the central inspection team noted the problems, made corrective recommendations, which are objective and comprehensive, which have a profound relevance. These recommendations are sharply to the point, in full compliance with the Central Committee’s spirit and in full compliance with the reality of the Tibetan situation. They are highly targeted, they provide proper guidance; they are educative and give us a wake-up call.
The [TAR] Regional party fully agrees with the recommendations and strongly supports the central Inspection team’s opinions on Tibet.
The Central Inspection team has asked us to earnestly implement corrective measures. It was decided to set up a Rectification Work Leading Group, headed by Comrade Chen Quanguo, Padma Choling, Lobsang Gyalsten, Deputy Secretaries Wu Yingjie and Comrade Deng Xiaogang as members. Under the strict supervision of CCDI, the Leading Group Rectification will have five special teams for anti-corruption work to supervise the rectification work group, check the ‘Four Winds’ issues and the rectification for the ‘funded projects’.
To meet these requirements, it is necessary to implement the rectification work as an important task for the current and future times; this important agenda includes rapid deployment schedule and firm and realistic planning for doing a good job.
Thematic studies should be undertaken to develop reform proposals, condemnation should be taken one by one, pulled out from the problem list; refined corrective measures should be done one by one, clear rectification responsibility should be fixed one by one, the problem will not be solved after withdraw [to Beijing] of the inspection teams. Feedback from the central inspection teams is needed to ensure full implementation of the rectification work, to improve the work style, and promote a clean government and continue the anti-corruption struggle.
The meeting stressed that the primary task is to strengthen the political discipline, grasp the key rectification issues to ensure the rectification results; to further implement strict political discipline. Always put in the first place, strict adherence to political discipline; have a firm political stance, a clear political direction; this should be insisted upon in Tibet. Although Tibet is far away from Beijing, the heart [of the Centre] is always with the people of all nationalities.
Xi Jinping as general secretary firmly believes that we are all closely linked together, at any time, under any circumstances through the same ideological and political action.
Xi Jinping’s speech is highly consistent; one should listen to Comrade Xi Jinping’s command.
Further one should strengthen the ‘Four Obedience’, and firmly correct indiscipline, liberalism and severely punish violations of political indiscipline; one should never allowed ourselves to engage in ‘gang’ groups, cliques, have a double face; one should have a fair and honest behaviour and resolutely safeguard the Party's centralized control and resolutely safeguard Xi Jinping's authority.
In mountainous Tibet, in the midst of difficult conditions, the main battlefield of the struggle is against separatism, but one should not think twice about a clean government and anti-corruption issues; there can’t be exception when one faces party discipline; one cannot cross the red line, break the bottom line.
On the one hand, one should insist and continue to fight corruption. On the other hand, one should struggle against separatism, build a clean government, combating corruption is an important guarantee for the success of the struggle against separatism.
An important part of the struggle for a clean government is the performance of the party members and cadres in the struggle against separatism and anti-corruption.
One should take seriously the struggle against separatism and worry about the outcome of the struggle against separatism; one should not believe in the 14th Dalai group’s fantasies (illusions), or follow the Dalai group; one should beware infiltration and sabotage activities in which are involved separatist party cadres. Indiscipline will be strictly and severely punished according to the law. Party members and cadres, especially leading cadres at all levels, involved in the maintenance of unity of the motherland, should carry out this important principle of struggle against separatism; they should always firmly take a clear stand; they should have a unified understanding; they can’t be ‘people on both sides’ [with the Dalai Lama and the Party]. 

Change of life style
One should strictly implement the provisions of the Central Committee’s spirit, expanding and constantly consolidating the results of the massline’s [campaign] educational practice; continue to carry out special campaigns to increase discipline supervision, public exposure and disciplinary accountability and seriously deal with disciplinary cases, in order to win the trust of the [masses]; it should become the new norm.
One should think in strict accordance with the General Secretary [Xi] while serving the public; be diligent and pragmatic; clean and honest in the selection of good cadre and follow the appointment criteria and strictly implement the "Regulations on Appointing Cadres" and "Selecting and Appointing Cadres to Work on Strengthening the Supervision of Opinions"; concentrate on the "Four Focus", intensify one’s efforts to improve the way to achieve proper coverage of inspection work.

Further implement one’s responsibility.
If the Party committees do not have a firm grasp [on the cadres] and establish a clean government, it is a serious dereliction of consciousness. With the main responsibility firmly in mind, on its shoulders, in its hands, the Party Secretary [Chen] should earnestly fulfill his ‘first responsible’ role and the other members of the team too, should seriously implement their shared responsibility.

Further strengthen the oversight responsibilities.
Commission for Discipline Inspection at all levels should strengthen supervision and inspection efforts to effectively perform good discipline, fulfill its responsibility and strict implementation of a clean government while being accountable to fight corruption. They should further improve the institutional system; seriously implement the "establishment of a sound system for punishing and preventing corruption work plan 2013-2017"; fully implement the measures suggested by the discipline inspection, in line with the reality of Tibet institutional system for punishing and preventing corruption and explore the establishment of effective mechanisms to implement the motto ‘not rot, does not rot, do not want to rot’.

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