Ambitious Reforms:
Selecting Talents the Democratic Way

By HE RIWEN

Carefully checking the number of voters in an election of the villagers' committee in Dongliushi Village, Wenxian County, Henan Province

"We say capitalism is not good, but when it comes to discovering and using talents, it is certainly very bold. It has a characteristic, which is taken for granted, that no priority is given to seniority, and that anyone suitably qualified is eligible." So said Deng Xiaoping in 1980, only two years after China adopted the policy of reform and opening.

Since 1980, the CPC Central Committee has applied reforms and innovations to the selection and use of talents, forming a concrete aspect of a socialist democracy. This is aimed at establishing a dynamic mechanism for the promotion of excellent human resources suitable for the development of a socialist market economy. Organizations at various levels have explored this concept, and established and expanded the effective participation of the broad masses of the people. This is an essential aspect of reforms to China's political structure.

Village Elections

Zhang Yuming, a candidate, says he prefers to stand when giving his election speech.

For a long time, rural cadres were appointed by organizations at a superior level in the governmental hierarchy. The candidates for any election actually held were personally selected by leaders at the next level. All that was required of villagers was that they raise their hands or cast ballots. These so-called "appointed elections" ignored villagers' democratic rights, and obstructed the available channels for farmers' political participation. They also violated the principles of equality, openness and fairness, inviting corruption.

Following China's reform and opening, the rural economy made rapid progress. Farmers reinforced their consciousness as masters, and the traditional administrative system born of the planned economy became obsolete. In 1980, farmers in Guangxi's Yishan and Luocheng counties directly elected their villagers' committees. In 1982, the new Constitution of the PRC confirmed the legal status of villagers' committee, and in 1987, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress adopted the Organic Law of Villagers' Committees of the People's Republic of China (Trial Implementation). From that time onwards, the villagers' self-governing system operated on a trial basis.

Villagers carefully mark their ballots.

Through constant practice and improvements throughout the following decade, the fifth session of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress, held in November 1998, formally adopted the Organic Law of Villagers' Committees of the People's Republic of China. The law clearly stipulates that the election of villagers' committees should be presided over by villagers' election committees, and that members of the election committees should be elected at villagers' meetings, or by various villagers' groups. Organizations at higher levels should in no way be involved. Candidates for the villagers' committee are nominated by direct voting, or by ten or more villagers jointly, not by the county or township government, or the village leadership. The law also stipulates a multi-candidate election, secret ballots, open counting of votes, a private place to mark a vote, and on-the-spot announcement of the election results. If an elected village cadre is deemed lacking in fairness and justice in his handling of affairs, and seeks personal gain through abuse of his position, or violates laws or discipline, villagers have the right to dismiss him through standardized democratic procedures.

During the decade or more that direct elections were carried out on a trial basis, villagers in China's countryside evinced a strong political consciousness. Statistics show that in villagers' committee elections of recent years, the degree of democracy and the percentage of villagers' participation has increased, year by year. Just as some farmers said, "I may not care that much about the election of the township head or magistrate, but I pay great attention to the election of village cadres." This is practical, because if a village cadre is remiss in his handling affairs, villagers stand to suffer. The money that a village cadre spends without restraint is that earned from the sweat of the villagers' brows, and if a village cadre lacks ability, the village economy is sure to stagnate. So villagers cherish their ballots. With the physical support of his grandson, Tang Yuzhen, an 85-year-old farmer from Changbeigou Village, Luanping County, Hebei Province, participated in his village elections, and villagers of Chengli Village, Shexian County, Hebei Province hired six video cameras to monitor the whole process of their village election. Democratic election of villagers' committees, and the power to dismiss or retain millions of village cadres is now in the hands of the majority of farmers. A large number of upright and capable people are elected into villagers' committees. This has optimized the structure of rural cadres and promoted economic development and social stability in rural areas. Also, in directly exercising their democratic rights, hundreds of millions of farmers are receiving an education on the socialist democratic legal system. The concept of a democratic legal system is penetrating the minds of the people.

Public Servants

A written examination is part of the application procedure to become a leading cadre.

Establishing a system of open selection of leading cadres represents a breakthrough in reforms to the traditional system of cadre appointment. China has for many years, exerted great effort to searching out and using talents, but is still unable to meet the needs of reform and opening, and the socialist modernization drive. In 1984, Ningbo and certain other cities began to introduce an element of competition into the management of cadres, and adopted open selection of non-elected cadres, achieving impressive results. Since then, many localities have continued the exploration and practice of this concept.

The system of open selection of cadres is called "winning position through competition," and the organs that practice it have expanded from provinces and prefecture-level cities to counties and township grassroots governments. In general, the process is divided into four stages: mobilization, entering one's name, taking a written examination and attending an interview, evaluation, and appointment. After a cadre is selected, his or her first year of service is probationary. On the expiration of this probation period, if the cadre is judged as qualified, he or she is officially appointed. Those deemed unsuitable return to their original jobs, or are allocated alternative employment.

Open selection of leading cadres is a challenge to the traditional cadre system. The existing personnel system has been formed and developed over a long period of time. In general, it conforms to China's political system of a highly centralized planned economy, but it has its shortcomings. Under the new circumstances of building and perfecting a socialist market economy, its limitations are ever more prominent. The open selection of leading cadres is a complete departure from the old mode of cadre appointment. It constitutes the change from the rule of man to the rule of law, and from covertness to openness. Candidates are no longer limited to the few that are known to leaders, and former restrictions relating to area, trades and occupations, have been eliminated, widening the scope of selection. It also realizes two-directional selection, precluding the practice of creating a job solely to accommodate a person, and avoids the waste of talents by promoting their rational circulation.

Soliciting Public Opinions Before a Cadre Is Appointed

On public notice of public servants vacancies, applicants are many.

Background data on all prospective leading cadres -- their names, academic credentials, current position and position of appointment -- are notified to the public, to solicit the opinions of the masses within a limited period of time, as a means to putting social supervision into practice. If there is an unfavorable report on a candidate from the masses, and if after checking the objections to the relevant candidate are found to have foundation, the appointment is canceled. Those violating regulations or laws are punished according to legal procedure.

To most Chinese, public notification means openness, which is considered an effective democratic form. Public notification means supervision, which in turn inhibits bureaucratic power, making it an effective weapon for combating the abuse of power and the corruption that goes with it. It is also a modern social administration concept. Zhu Guiyu, a university professor from Hebei Province, said that in essence, public notification endorses the general public's acknowledgement of and trust in social administrators. When social administrators conscientiously carry out the principle of openness, it helps to consolidate the foundation of their legitimacy, and enhances public confidence in their work.

After casting their ballots, some of the voters are reluctant to leave.

In China, malpractice in the selection of cadres is rife. There are indications that corrupt practices whereby certain steps are taken to obtain important government positions, and the corresponding "sale" of such positions, are still rampant in certain localities and workplaces. This has a direct connection with the method of selecting cadres, which still has covert and indistinct elements. When the old mechanism for the selection of cadres combines with the market economy benefit-motivation principle, it provides all too many opportunities for leaders blinded by greed, and for those with connections who are willing to do whatever it takes to worm their way into the ranks of cadres. The trial implementation of the system of public notification before a cadre is appointed, and the system of advance notification of cadre evaluation marks the change of approach to the whole issue of human resources from one of covertness to openness. It gives the people advance information, enabling them to participate in and supervise the entire process. It is, therefore, a dramatic breakthrough in reforms to the cadre system.

The direct election of villagers' committees, and public notification prior to the appointment of a public servant are a revolutionary departure from the old personnel system, and traditional ideology, and are important supportive reforms in the ongoing quest to perfect the socialist market economy. This radical change has attracted widespread attention. David Brown, chairman of the International Society of Administrative Sciences, said he has personally witnessed how China is carrying out ambitious reforms. He expressed his hopes that China's administrative system reforms would provide beneficial experience and promote similar reforms to administrative systems in the Asia-Pacific Region and in other countries of the world.