CPC Leadership Philosophy: Power without checks leads to corruption- Part III

CPC has shown the world that it has moral authority within the Party. We are a witness that the sixth plenary session officially conferred on Xi Jinping the highest honour of being the Party’s “core” leader which substantiate the Chinese strong culture of honouring her leaders.

Perhaps we would all agree that bestowing such an honour on President Jinping was significant, since it affirms the authority of the central leadership and strengthens the internal solidarity of the Party. However, strict discipline as we saw last week, has always distinguished the CPC from all other political parties in China.

It should be remembered that it was strict discipline and its stern implementation that helped the Party lead the revolution in 1949 and achieve rapid economic development over the past more than three decades.

The Party stance on discipline has demonstrated to the world and proved beyond reasonable doubt that there is zero tolerance to all those who violate discipline. It was clear that the main targets of supervision are the CPC’s top organs and officials, particularly senior officials.

Xie Chuntao, professor at the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC, said not only individuals who violate discipline shall face punishment, but Party organisations and disciplinary authorities in charge of supervising them shall also bear responsibility.

“Some people thought in the past that if they did not violate discipline themselves, they would not be blamed. “But if they are a leader of a Party organisation, and a member in that organisation commits a serious breach of discipline, they will also be punished for ignorance and failure in supervision,” Xie said.

It is Socialism with Chinese characteristics to ensure that there is power supervision. The Communique released by the CPC explains that the plenum approved two documents on the norms of political life within the Party and intra-Party supervision, in order to ensure power wielded by officials is indeed put in the institutional cage. But again it brings us to the point that the local political parties perhaps can borrow a leaf from the CPC by seeing into it that political parties should not wield absolute powers.

Chinese political analysts and scholars explain very well how power, without checks, leads to corruption.

In other words, no matter how many corrupt officials are arrested and punished, more will emerge unless the power structure and personnel management system are overhauled, said Li Yongzhong, former vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Discipline Inspection and Supervision.