The Experience and Enlightenment of Anti-corruption for Public Integrity Education of CPC

Liao Chongxu，Yang Xu＊

The Experience and Enlightenment of Anti-corruption for Public Integrity Education of CPC

Liao Chongxu，Yang Xu＊

Anti-corruption for public integrity education (ACPI Education) is a fundamental solution to combat corruption with the aim of cultivating an environment that nurtures moral awareness and integrity while guarding against corruption. Since the founding of the CPC, ACPI Education has been a priority and great experience has been accumulated. The CPC has actively adapted to changes in the times and continuously innovated anti-corruption education. Major achievements both in theory and practice have advanced the development of public integrity through anticorruption education in China and provided inspiration for the world.

CPC, ACPI Education, Experience and Enlightenment

ACPI Education is the basis of the anti-corruption movement. President Xi Jinping said, “We must insist that ACPI Education be offered to all cadres so as to enhance their ideal and belief, constantly strengthen their thoughts of political integrity and build moral defense against corruption and change”①“Excerpt from the Explication of Integrity Building and Anticorruption in CPC by Xi Jinping”, 2015, p.141..

1. The connotation of ACPI Education for the CPC

Great attention has been given to ACPI Education since the CPC was established. Emphasis has been made to strengthen the education of Marxism theories and the history of the party, country and the world. Also, attention has been paid to promote the education concerning the basic theories, lines, disciplines and policies of theParty,laws, regulations and ethics as well.

ACPI Education refers to a large-scale social educational campaign for fighting corruption and upholding integrity under the guidance of the party and government. The education in a broad sense means social integrity to some extent, and in a narrow sense, the education can be defined as political integrity.

The ACPI Education in China, in a broad sense, is a social campaign led by the CPC for enabling party members and government workers to have a sense of integrity, make upright decisions and oppose corruption by combining the ATP education with social standards, family morality, work disciplines and law education. The education also includes citizens, functionaries, and officials in social organizations, and all levels of the party and governments.

But in a narrow sense, it refers to the integrity education targeting civil servants, and employees in institutions and enterprises, especially those officials and cadres in governments at all levels, in other words, “The public servants who hold public power”(Hu, 2009, p. 153).

2. The purpose of ACPI Education for the CPC

ACPI Education plays a fundamental role in preventing and punishing corruption. By setting the moral standard, the ACPI Education contribute to develop a strong sense of integrity, “self-restraint and self-discipline among all members of society” (Wang & Zhou, 2011, p. 294).

The party aims to create an atmosphere in which the cadres respect integrity and reject corruption, cultivating the belief by building a culture that embraces integrity. “Through the ACPI Education directed at officials with power, we can not only foster the awareness of pursuing integrity, honesty, observance of law, and fulfillment of duties, but also adhere to positive work ethic and code of conduct so that a society that features honesty and integrity for the sake of the public could be developed as each individual develops the perception of being honest and righteous” (Hu, 2009, p. 152). In other words, the Party improves the political awareness and understanding of all its cadres through ACPI Education. And thereby, the cadres can set good examples for society, helping create a good social environment to combat corruption.

3. The experience and enlightenment

With good political awareness and high morality, cadres can draw a clear line between right and wrong and avoid falling into the alluring pitfalls of corruption. “ACPI has a significant function of moral education, which can guide the cadres to enhance their awareness of integrity and ability to resist graft” (Lu, 2010). Lenin once said, “A man with good political consciousness will never be corrupted” (Lenin, 1987, p.198). However, this kind of consciousness is difficult to nurture. First, it demands planned, targeted, paced efforts against corruption. Second, it requires regular education of the Communist ideal, belief, purpose, even world outlook, views on life, values and power. Finally, it needs unceasing education in political diligence, integrity and self-discipline. Some experience in ACPI has been drawn as follows since the implementation of policy of reform and opening-up.

3.1 Taking ACPI Education as a fundamental solution

Since China’s ACPI Education began, from the construction of socialist spiritual civilization and law education in the primary stage of the reform and opening-up to the Three Emphases Education in the period of socialist market economy; from the“Three Represents” and Socialist Concept of Honorand Disgrace in the period of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects to the “mass line”education, “Three Strict and Three Steadies” and studies on the theoretical and practical issues of party building during the deepening reform period, these all illustrate that the Party has taken party building as a systematic project, especially focusing on strengthening the party from the perspective of thought. “Pure thought is the fundamental of the Party’s purity. The high moral quality is the basis of being honest and upright”①“Excerpt from the Explication of Integrity Building and Anticorruption in CPC by Xi Jinping”, 2015, p.141.. Through these practices, the Party has focused on these questions: Why found the party, how to found the party, and what party is worth founding? This also illustrates that education is fundamental in combating corruption helping cadres to resist being corrupted. Thanks to these efforts, the cadres realize that corruption will not only destroy their reputation, but also damage the country’s authority and image. By this way, they are willing to resist various kinds of temptation and corruption.

3.2 Taking ACPI Education as a regular and long-term task

Throughout the anti-graft educational campaigns launched by the CPC since the reform and openingup, some are constant, while others appear according to new circumstances. Some target at cadres at the grass-roots level while others are for party members above the county level. Some are conducted within the party itself and others are launched on a national scale. This shows that the Party has provided the education on a regular basis, “To take moral education as a fundamental project in preventing and punishing corruption” (Geng, 2006). A targeted, planned and systematic education must be held constantly and regularly rather than just held for the sake of education. These education campaigns all have been decided and approved by the Congress of Party Representatives and included in each Five-year national development plan. These activities educate both cadres and people, and have great significance regarding social integrity.

During the last three decades China has been much better organized and governed, and as a result has become the second largest world economy. An increasing number of countries are turning their eyes to China and hope to draw some experience from China’s rapid development. This also reflects the achievements of the Party’s long-term self-education. No matter what age China is in, the revolution age, the construction age or the age of reform and opening-up, the Party will, as usual, focus on antigraft and advocating integrity. The normalization of ACPI helps the Party keep its progressiveness and purity, deal with challenges and dangers, and strengthen its leadership position.

3.3 Taking ACPI Education as public education

When carrying out the anti-corruption campaign, the CPC always pays attention to the educational dissemination. The target “should not only aim at leading cadre groups with only those key individuals but also at the whole CPC and the whole society. The anti-corruption campaign is supposed to be the focus of the social education” (Geng, 2006). In other words, whether the public agrees on the anticorruption education mainly depends on whether the education is carried out in line with the practical circumstances. If the education doesn’t consider the reality of CPC or the politics, economy, culture and society, nor the lives of people, then the education will face the dilemma that theory and practice are not relevant to each other, which is neither accepted by the Party members and cadres, nor approved by the people. Also, whether the anti-corruption campaign is effective is significantly reflectedby whether the educated Party members and the leading cadres behave in the manner of probity and self-discipline, and practice what they preach. This effectiveness is also reflected by the desire of people for anti-corruption, and zero tolerance for corruption. Lower tolerance for corruption gives expression to the higher effectiveness of anticorruption campaigns.

Over more than 30 years of reform and openingup, the CPC ceaselessly strengthened Party building, implementing anti-corruption education campaigns concerning the Party conduct and Party spirit, building a normative system of clean governance for the leading cadres, and enhancing the ability of standing the test on long-term governance, reform and opening-up, market economy and external environment, and all of these efforts lay a solid ideological foundation for anti-corruption education to acquire the trust and support from people.

Throughout the Party’s anti-corruption education, the education popularization can be captured in the following aspects: The education target includes party members, ordinary party members and ordinary people with leading cadres at the center of education; the content covers the education of the Party’s basic theories, basic knowledge, basic programs, basic lines, the ideal and faith, the ideological and moral education, and the law and discipline education; the education mode consists of integrated education, organized learning and individual learning; the education method is changed from theoretical learning to case study, and then ultimately to practice; the education means has changed, combining face-to-face instruction with the application of some new technologies like the Internet. All the above-mentioned endeavors make the anti-corruption campaign multi-dimensional, diversified and systematized, which is conducive to the building of a philosophy of anti-corruption and probity, and is an important reason for continuously pressing ahead with anti-corruption education.

3.4 Targeting leading cadres and groups

Leading cadres of the CPC at different levels are the key players as they play a pivotal role in serving the Party and nation and in enforcing the Party’s guidelines and policies. “Their ability to resist corruption determines the fate of the country” (Wang & Zhou, 2011, p.300). Besides, to some extent, “The image of the cadres also reflects that of the Party and government” (Wang & Zhou, 2011, p.300). Therefore, ACPI Education must always focus on the cadres and officials.

As the old saying goes, “Fish begin to stink at the head,” which illustrates that cadres are the key group in the continuing education process. The ACPI Education demands that all cadres set good examples because the public pays close attention to the cadres. They will supervise Party cadres’words and acts in the process of ACPI Education. Therefore, cadres are not only key to the success of ACPI Education, but also important to people’s education and recognition.

3.5 Combining ACPI Education with institutional building, power restraint and supervision

Anti-corruption is a systematic project and ACPI Education is one of the important measures to combat corruption, the optimum effect of which can only be achieved when ACPI Education is combined with the institutional construction, power constraint and supervision together with graft punishment. Since the reform and opening-up, while launching the anti-graft education, the party also stresses equal emphasis on constructing anti-graft systems, building disciplines and laws in punishing and preventing corruption and enhancing power constraints and supervision. It upholds transparency in government operations, in party affairs, in village affairs, in enterprise operations and so on, and resorts to laws to punish corrupt officials and acts.In fact, the process of ACPI is also a progress of constructing anti-graft systems, of strengthening the power constraints and supervision, and of punishing corruption. Therefore, as a key part of corruption prevention and punishment, ACPI Education must be combined and linked with other anti-corruption measures to achieve the best result for eradicating corruption.

(Editor: Yan Yuting)

This paper has been translated and reprinted with the permission of Social Sciences , No.1, 2017.

REFERENCES

Geng, G. H. (2006). Views on establishing a long-term mechanism for anticorruption for public integrity education. Journal of Socialist Theory Guide.

Hu Yang. (2009). Introductory theory of anti-corruption. Beijing: The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Party School Press.

Lenin corpora, Vol. 42. (1987). Beijing: People’s Press.

Lu, W. H. (2010). Anti-corruption for public integrity education: reflections on its practice and measures for improvement. Truth Seeking.

Wang, S. Y & Zhou, Y. C. (2011). A research into corruption and power restraint. Beijing: China Social Science Press.

*Liao Chongxu, associate professor, Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences.

Yang Xu, postgraduate student, Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences.