Political Restructuring -- an Arrow Poised for Flight
Prospects for Political Restructuring
It is clear that China's political restructuring is still inchoate and needs to take bigger, bolder strides under the premise of an orderly, stable process. The issues that take priority since the 18th CPC National Congress are:
I. Regulation and Restriction of Public Power
Corruption, which shows no sign of abatement, has become a public menace that undermines the credibility of the ruling party and hence of the government. Ineffective checks on public power constitute the root of such corruption. China's political system is based on that of the Soviet Union, wherein the ruling party as all-powerful is the defining characteristic. The party secretary has the final word at all levels of the state machine, and the Party has supreme authority. This, in principle, places the nation under the "rule of man." Unbridled power has inflicted heavy tolls on China in the past. Since opening-up and reform we have introduced methods to regulate and restrict public authority, but they have yet to turn the situation around. There is at present no fully transparent operation of public power, public participation in state affairs is limited, and there is insufficient decentralization of power and common restraint among public officials. This irrational, inefficient and obsolete power configuration has moreover given rise to a faulty structure that has nurtured overarching vested interests to the extent of manipulating the country's reforms and hampering their progress. The consequences of not firmly redressing public authority and allowing its sustained freewheeling would be catastrophic. It is time, therefore, to grasp the nettle and confine public power.
II. Top-level Design
China's political restructuring has advanced on the heels on that of its economy but has yet to reach an extent that satisfies the people. A leading factor among those accountable for this situation is the absence of a top-level design for political restructuring. A main feature of a planned economy is the expectation that the central government devises an exhaustive scheme of reforms that local authorities bring into effect. China should now stick to the path of pilot reforms that start at local levels and which the central authorities accordingly evaluate as appropriate or otherwise for national application. The problem is that holistic planning and coordination have not been in place when local governments have carried out extensive reform experiments that have brought encouraging results. All too often the central government does nothing more than call the shots for reform, leaving the groundwork to various government divisions. This gives certain authorities the opportunity either to entrench or augment their might in the name of reforms whose original intent is to regulate and check public power. Reforms are consequently scrappy and unevenly implemented.
III. More Research on the Systematization of Civil Society
That a civil society undergoes greater systematization within a market economy is a natural trend. The more systematized civil society becomes, the more healthy and orderly its development will be. A core function of political parties, therefore, is to push forward social systematization. During the years of revolution the CPC excelled at rallying various social forces to achieve its political goals. The situation at the time of socialist construction is different. A hallmark of a civil society is when various social forces stand behind their respective interests rather than the Party's objectives.
Scant study has been made of the new situation. The thinking whereby social organizations are either appurtenances of the Party or latent threats to its rule, however, is detrimental. These times demand deep consideration of the need to heighten the systematization of our society and provide institutionalized channels for citizens to voice their interests.
IV. Promote Inter-party Democracy
Inter-party democracy will remain a pivotal point of promoting general democracy in future political restructuring. To ensure that it can truly perform the flagship role of building comprehensive democracy in China, particular efforts must be made in elections for Party positions. In doing so competition should be advocated—a move that underpins the legitimacy of meritocracy within the Party. Competition has in fact long been in existence due to scarce power resources. Owing to prejudice against political competition, however, it is something we are reluctant to acknowledge and hence fail to regulate. Consequently the race for Party positions often involves under-the-table deals, turning what should be competition into contemporary versions of the struggles and jockeying for power in the imperial courts of feudal times. Competition is not the antithesis of solidarity. Rules have to be laid down for intra-Party competition, so bringing it into the open and allowing candidates to prove their political aptitude publicly. Involving more Party members and citizens in the selection of government officials will enhance the legitimacy of the CPC rule.
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WANG CHANGJIANG is chief of the Party Building Research Department and a doctoral tutor at the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC.
