Don't Take a Single Needle or Piece of Thread from the Masses.
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People's role should never be forgotten
Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) talks with local villagers and cadres at Shibadong Village in Paibi Township of Huayuan County in the Tujia-Miao autonomous prefecture of Xiangxi, central China's Hunan Province, November 3, 2013.[Photo/Xinhua] Fancy a free Kindle? Take this Long March quiz. When I walked into the Hunan villages with more than 50 fellow reporters, all wearing the same white T-shirts and carrying cameras, I was greeted with curious yet smiling faces from local people everywhere. This made me wonder whether the Red Army soldiers were given the same kindness and hospitality here 80 years ago when they suffered from extreme hunger and tiredness. The answer is yes. In Tongdao Dong autonomous county, villager Yang Zhengyi, who is around 70 years old, told us that his father used to be the guide for the Red Army. In 1934, a meeting in the county, close to the border between Hunan and Guizhou province, was convened to discuss the direction of the Red Army. During the meeting, Mao Zedong suggested the Red Army should change direction towards Guizhou, where the enemy defenses were expected to be weak, instead of marching further into Hunan. "My father guided and walked with them for three days and three nights until they reached Guizhou," said Yang, adding that his father was in his twenties back then. In Hunan, the route of the Long March covers hometowns of many ethnic minorities. Most of the people stick to their own language and don't understand mandarin even today. In Shibadong, a small village hiding in the deep mountains in the Xiangxi Tujia-Miao autonomous prefecture, 76-year-old Long Decheng held my hands and asked me where I am from. That is probably the only mandarin she has known her whole life. We had to communicate through a translator who can speak both Miao dialect and mandarin. During the Long March, chased and encircled by the Kuomintang (KMT), the Red Army marched through 14 provinces which are home to over 10 ethnic groups, encountering dramatically different natural and cultural environments. How could the Red Army communicate with local people and win their support? The key is the so-called "mass line", which was conducted wherever the army reached and proved effective. Inside the army, soldiers were strictly disciplined to never take any advantage of the people. They were forbidden from entering local people's houses and taking food or other property without paying. On the other hand, the Red Army built "flesh-and-blood" ties with the people during the Long March. The Red Army set up a specialized organization to deal with minority ethnic groups with tailored policies. The army upheld religious freedom and respected their customs. They also helped ethnic minorities to establish their own government and army. The heartfelt and selfish giving of the Red Army was rewarded with enormous kindness from local people, who had contributed both man power and material resources to the success of the Long March. Some of them even sacrificed their lives for the great cause. Their contribution will never be forgotten by the Party and the people. In 2013, President Xi Jinping visited the Shibadong village and for the first time put forward the concept of "targeted poverty alleviation", which has greatly improved the life of Long Decheng and her family. "Our Party comes from the people, is rooted in the people, and serves the people. Without popular support, none of the Party's achievements or aspirations would be possible," President Xi once said. "Under no circumstances will we ever forsake our commitment to sharing weal and woe with the people. We will never forgo the historical materialist view point which regards the people as the true heroes." Xi also said that as has been the case throughout the Party's history, its close ties with the people are the embodiment of its nature and purpose, the hallmark that distinguishes the CPC from other political parties, and an important factor enabling the CPC to grow strong. The fate of the Party's undertakings relies on whether it can maintain its ties with the people. Therefore, as we celebrate the victory of the Long March today, we should never forget those ordinary people from various ethnic groups, who may not even understand our language yet still remember the history vividly. It's the Party's responsibility to lift more people out of poverty and provide a better life for everyone, which is the goal of the new Long March.
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不拿群众一针一线
“不拿群众一针一线”是我军三大纪律八项注意中的第二项纪律。当过解放军的人如果说不会唱此歌，如同听他回答不是吃饭长大的一样令人惊讶。我学会唱她是刚穿上军装在开往部队的火车上。 1976年的冬季天很冷，人们的心尤其凄惨孤凉惶恐迷茫。这年，唐山大地震，周恩来、朱德、毛泽东、张闻天逝去。中华民族的天有阴云笼罩。寒风里，我们穿着没有领章、帽徽的棉军装，胸前别着小白花，在县城火车站集合，听完县里什么干部一通化悲痛为力量，继承遗志，努力争光的发言后与家乡人告别。家人的泪水在尽力强挤出的有些僵硬的笑脸上流淌，哽咽着小声重复着我已听过多少遍的叮咛，在希冀，难舍，激动，痛苦，祈福等复杂成分混聚的目光贯注下，登上铺着炕席、点着火炉的闷罐车。坐在军被打成的背包上，背靠着车厢冰凉的铁皮，低着头承受着一种沉重的，重的有些微痛的情感。黑乎乎的车厢帮着将这种情绪扩散漫延，令情感渐沉微痛渐重，且感染每一个人，全车厢鸦雀无声。什么时候，铁轮碾压铁轨接缝处发出咣当、咣当的响声，车箱也在前行中左右摇摆。咣当声虽铿锵有力，却撕不开，冲不进我麻木些的神经和几乎触底的情绪氛围。但咣当，咣当，倔强地顽强地时缓时急地自顾咣当着，伴着晃动，车厢内的火炉炉灶下有块光明时暗时亮。几束暗红的光透过炉盖与炉圈的缝隙泻出，证明着，呼唤着，昭示着生的存在，和生的继续，和生的前行。
“不拿群众一针一线”永不过时
“不拿群众一针一线”出自三大纪律八项注意，是中国人民解放军统一的革命纪律，是正确处理军内关系、军民关系基本要求。从1927年起，根据形势发展和部队的实践经验，毛泽东同志将“不拿工人农民一点东西”改为“不拿群众一针一线”，可以说这是用通俗明确的语言，把中国共产党把纪律和政策具体化和形象化了，易于为干部、战士接受和牢记，并落实在行动中。上升到理论高度，“不拿群众一针一线”就是在讲党员干部的作风问题，而作风问题是永恒的话题，当然永不过时。 党的十八大以来，从“八项规定”到《党政机关厉行节俭反对浪费条例》，再到最新修订颁布的党纪处分条例都在以史无前例的力度在强调党员特别是党员领导干部的作风问题。但目前，在广大基层党组织中，还存在几处薄弱环节，一是对落实八项规定、转变工作作风的重大意义认识不够到位。对八项规定在作风建设、党员干部队伍建设、增强队伍凝聚力、战斗力、创造力方面的重要性认识有所不足。二是加强作风建设的制度不够健全，措施还不够具体，在一些细节上还不够完善，特别是随着工作领域的拓展，还不能做到工作推进到哪里、作风转变就跟进到哪里，存在一定的滞后现象。三是加强干部队伍作风建设的方法不够多，较少地运用思想教育的方法，从思想深处的世界观、价值观、人生观等方面进行触及灵魂深处的作风教育。 正如文章中指出，仍有人认为，这是“小题大做”，甚至认为是组织的“选择性”执纪。事实上，这不是组织处分的“不恰当”，而是党员干部的“不应当”。确实如此，我们都知道“防微杜渐”的道理，但是怎么事到临头就转不过这根筋呢？笔者认为，主要是三个方面出了问题。 一是党性修养不扎实。认为“小题大做”从根本上是党员干部没有牢固树立正确的世界观、人生观、价值观，特别是随着社会主义市场经济的发展，经济社会生活呈现多样化，对每个人的理想、道德观念都会产生不同程度的冲击。面对形势的发展与变化，有的不能注重改造自我，不能善始善终、一以贯之，对自己的要求有所放松，自我改造、自我完善、自我革新的努力不够，出现了政绩观、权力观、利益观上的偏差，对社会上的一些不良风气的免疫力、抵抗力有所下降。 二是强化宗旨意识不够到位。“全心全意为人民服务”，这是中国共产党的根本宗旨，也是所有共产党人的立身之本。但在工作中，有时不自觉地从管理角度考虑问题、抓工作，没有站在人民群众的角度思考问题，问需于民、问计于民，从而导致有些工作脱离群众、脱离基层。说到底就是贯彻群众路线不到位，“从群众中来”做得不广泛、不经常；“到群众中去”做得不及时、不深入，群众观念不够浓厚，群众观念没有在头脑中深深扎根。 三是艰苦奋斗的进取精神有所淡化。经过多年的努力，我国经济社会文化各项建设取得了长足的进步，人民生活水平不断提高，但在成绩面前容易滋生“可以了、差不多”的思想，改革创新的勇气和魄力有所减弱，特别是对艰苦奋斗的优良作风，随着工作生活、工作条件的改善，不愿在艰苦条件下推动工作，面对难点、难题，不愿再奋斗、拼搏了，对一些难度较大、情况复杂的工作任务，求稳思想占了上风，在敢于碰硬方面有所顾虑，没有以更加积极的态度和更加坚决有效的措施去奋力进取，责任意识和担当精神不够到位。 唐代诗人王湾曾写道“潮平两岸阔，风正一帆悬。”只有时刻牢记作风建设，时刻把持严守党的纪录这个“帆”，才能防微杜渐，不致“迷失”了前进的方向，与人民群众越走越远，也只有时刻保持自律自爱、慎独慎微，才能永葆共产党员的本色。从这个意义上说，“不拿群众一针一线”永不过时。