CPC advances discipline education campaign(2)

Maintaining unity

Yang Weidong, a law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, said the ability to integrate a large-scale party with more than 5 million grassroots organizations and 98 million members, and unify their goals and actions, relies on a strict set of rules.

"This is a unique aspect that distinguishes the CPC from other political parties," he said. "Otherwise, such a large party might be like a pile of loose sand," he said, adding that discipline is also needed to lead the people to achieve great goals.

Compared with the two-party system in many Western countries, where the government might change every few years after one party loses an election, the CPC must win support from the people by placing strict constraints on its members, which is a higher requirement to consolidate the foundations for governance.

Chheang Vannarith, former president of the Asian Vision Institute, a think tank based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, said the mission of a political party is to build a vision for everyone so that the country can be united and work together.

China is unique as the CPC is the largest and most complex political party in the world. Discipline is very important as without discipline unity cannot be maintained, he said.

Considering the complex external environment as well as foreign interference, it's necessary to build a unified core through discipline education, which will prepare China for the decades ahead, Chheang Vannarith said.

Democracy and respect for the rule of law are declining in different parts of the world because of weak political systems, he said.

A strong political party can contribute to nation building, especially in a country pursuing development, he said.

"But, unfortunately, not many political parties in the world have strong unity and a strong vision, so perhaps the CPC is the strongest of them all," Chheang Vannarith said.

Wang, the Party history expert, said the CPC is uniting and leading the people toward the goal of fully building a modern socialist country. This places higher demands on its governance capability and leadership.

At the same time, some Party members and cadres are not attentive, or have not grasped Party regulations and discipline. In many cases of Party members violating the law, a large number of them began by violating Party regulations and discipline first, he said.

In December last year, the Party's Central Committee released revised regulations on disciplinary action. It was the third time that the CPC made revisions to its regulations since its 18th National Congress in 2012. Adding 16 new items and modifying 76 items, it refines the supervision and disciplinary procedures, and punishment rules.

Yang, the law expert, said few political parties in the world are as rigorously organized as the CPC, with a strict set of rules and strict enforcement.

Punishment includes severe warnings and expulsion from the Party, which could mean the end of member's political life and affect their career.

In July, Hu Jiyong, who previously served as Party secretary at one of the subsidiary companies of China National Petroleum Corporation, was expelled from the Party and removed from his positions for disciplinary violations.

On June 7, a video clip showing him strolling along a street in Chengdu, Sichuan province, holding hands with a young woman wearing a long, pink off-the-shoulder dress went viral.

Hu was soon placed under investigation by the disciplinary department of his company, which found he had an improper relationship with the woman during his marriage, and changed the schedule of his business trip to take the opportunity for recreation.

"Party discipline is more stringent than national laws," Yang said. If a member indulges in extravagant and wasteful spending, which causes a negative impact, they can face disciplinary punishment.

This strictness aims to make Party members and cadres hold themselves to higher standards than the public, he said.