Commentary: CPC eyes "key few" in education campaign

The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee highlighted the role of "a key few" officials in advancing the education campaign on strict Party governance.

The education campaign requires Party members to study the Party Constitution, its code of conduct, as well as the speeches of Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and be qualified Party members.

The campaign is vital for strictly governing the CPC and ensure that its 88 million members maintain a high degree of ideological and political consistency with the central leadership.

While the campaign covers every Party organization and member, the CPC focuses and relies on the "key few" leading officials to ensure clean and upright political ecology.

The "key few" refer to leading officials at the central, provincial/ministerial and local levels.

Leading officials should strengthen their political capability and ideals, implement the Party's decisions and strictly observe political rules.

Top leadership has asked the "key few" to "shoulder the heaviest burden and chew on the hardest bones" in advancing reform and eradicating poverty, both fundamental to accomplishing the goal of building a moderately prosperous society by 2020.

They are also required to use their power impartially and legally, and refrain from privileges and abusing their power.

Various workshops have been held to ensure the leading officials bear in mind the newly released Party documents, such as one on the norms of political life within the Party in the new era, and a regulation on intra-Party supervision. Both were approved last year at the sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee.

Regulating Party members and correcting their shortcomings requires long-term and persistent efforts. The responsibility of leading officials really stands out in the effective implementation of the campaign, supervision of its development and preventing perfunctory performance.

History and reality both tell us that the key to solving China's problems lies in the CPC's effective governance, and the leading senior leaders should shoulder the responsibility to achieve this.

Exemplified by "the key few," the campaign has achieved results in addressing problems and sealing loopholes in the management of Party organizations.

For the key few high-ranking officials, if they are derelict in duty or violate the law and discipline, the result will not just be corrupted individuals, it's highly likely that they may lead a group of cadres astray and poison the political ecology of a department or locality.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in late 2012, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) has investigated over 200 senior officials. In 2016 alone, it punished 76 officials at the ministerial level.

Those who have failed to exercise their duties or have committed negligence in regulating subordinates have also been held accountable.

Li Liguo, former minister of civil affairs, was held accountable for systematic graft while he was in office. He received punishment including probation in the Party for two years and demotion.

Now the CPC is institutionalizing the educational campaign to expand intra-Party education from the "key few" to the 88 million Party members across the nation, to build a Party that is strong, clean, and devoted to the interests of the people. Endi