Penalty shows that discipline applies to ordinary Party members: analysts
An English lecturer in Guangdong Province has been sacked from his position as vice department dean for publishing articles on Sina Weibo that "damaged the image of the Party and the country," which analysts said would serve as a warning to ordinary Party members not to violate Party discipline.
Liang Xinsheng, vice dean of the English department at Basic Education College of Zhanjiang Normal University in Guangdong Province, was sanctioned in July for "making up political rumors" and "violating political discipline and rules," an announcement posted Wednesday on the website of Guangdong's Party discipline inspection commission read.
Liang's posts had been deleted from his Sina Weibo account as of Thursday.
"It should be noted that a Party member is different from an ordinary citizen, who can make groundless statements to vent his or her personal feelings without bearing any responsibility," Zhuang Deshui, deputy director of the Research Center for Government Integrity Building at Peking University, told the Global Times.
The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee issued two sets of Party rules on October 21, stipulating that punishment will be imposed on those who irresponsibly make comments about national policies that are damaging to Party unity online, in publications or at seminars. Serious violators will be expelled from the Party.
According to Zhuang, the announcement can serve as a warning to all Party members, especially ordinary members. "Many people misunderstand and think that the rules only apply to high-ranking officials. The announcement shows that all Party members, regardless of their occupation or position, will be punished for discipline violations."
Zhuang added that college instructors also play an important part in the country's CPC ideology education.
China began emphasizing ideological education at universities at the start of 2015, when central authorities issued guidelines in January highlighting the importance of universities in championing Marxism, the Chinese Dream, socialist core values and traditional culture.
Yin Yungong, an expert on the socialist system at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that with the diversity of thought currently prevailing in China, it is time to consolidate the leading role of Marxism and maintain socialist core values and traditional culture.
Zhuang noted that some university students are too young to make a clear distinction between right and wrong. "It's a teacher's duty to impart knowledge and educate people; they should not abuse their influence to mislead students, especially by making irresponsible comments that damage the image of the Party on social networks such as Sina Weibo."
A guideline jointly issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council on October 10 called for further proliferation and promotion of Party ideology at universities via the Internet, and will require college instructors to undergo at least 20 hours of ideological education every year.
