Combat Bureaucratism

Key Points of Zhou Enlai's report on combatting bureaucratism from a speech made at a meeting of leading cadres from departments directly under the Central Committee and the State Council on May 29, 1963. It was published by People's Daily on August 29, 1984, and included in Selected Works of Zhou Enlai (Part II) published by People’s Press in 1984.

Bureaucratism is a political disease to which our leading organs are highly vulnerable. China was a feudal society for many, many years; for the past century it was a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society.

This accounts for the profound influence of bureaucratism in our country. Bureaucratism is closely related to liberalism, individualism, commandism, routinism, decentralism, departmentalism and sectarianism. So our struggle against it must be related to the struggle against all these tendencies.

The report lists 20 manifestations of bureaucratism: the first is that there are bureaucrats who are divorced from both, the leadership and the masses. Bureaucrats who hold aloof from realities and are out of touch with the masses. They neither conduct social surveys and investigations, nor work out concrete measures to implement Party policies, nor do political and ideological work among their subordinates. When they give orders, they inevitably cause great harm to the state and the people.

The second is coercive and mandatory bureaucratism. Bureaucrats who are arrogant and conceited, who take a one-sided, subjective approach to problems, handle matters carelessly, indulge in empty political discussions but pay no attention to practical matters, turn a deaf ear to advice, make arbitrary decisions, and give orders in total disregard of actual circumstances.

The third is a bureaucratism which is muddleheaded, lacking the sense of orientation and afflicted with routinism. Bureaucrats who work diligently all year round, busying themselves from morning till night with all sorts of jobs. But they make no study of the affairs they handle and know nothing of the merits and failings of their subordinates. They make no preparations before delivering a speech, and they have no plans for their work. What's more, they never bother to study relevant policies, and they ignore the importance of relying on the masses. As a result, they often work alone and in the dark, unable to identify the right course of action.

The fourth is old-fashioned bureaucratism. Bureaucrats who put on airs and behave high and mighty. They lord it over people, so that others stand in awe of them. They are insufferably arrogant and don't treat others as equals. Moreover, they are often rude to people, or shout abuse at them.

The fifth is dishonest bureaucratism. Bureaucrats who, although ignorant and incompetent, consider it beneath their dignity to consult their subordinates for advice or suggestions. Given to boasting and exaggeration, they often send false reports to the central authorities. They make false or misleading statements and gloss over their own mistakes. They claim all credit for themselves and shift all blame onto others.

The sixth is irresponsible bureaucratism. Bureaucrats who, being afraid to take on responsibility, find all sorts of excuses to decline assignments and bargain over every task assigned to them. They are dilatory and irresolute in their work and repeatedly put things off. Furthermore, they are often apathetic and careless.

The seventh are bureaucrats whose only aim in life is to hold on to their official posts and lead a comfortable life. They are perfunctory about all their work and only want to avoid offending anybody. Well versed in the ways of the world and skillful in interpersonal relations, they know how to flatter their superiors, win the good will of their subordinates and curry favour with everyone.

The eighth are bureaucrats whose chief characteristics are sluggishness and incompetence. They can make no progress in political study or in improving their professional skills. Their talk is dull and meaningless and their methods of leadership are completely ineffective. They are totally unqualified for the posts they hold and capable of nothing except eating their unearned meals.

The ninth are bureaucrats who are brainless and incompetent. They just while away their time without a definite purpose, indulging in food and drink. Too lazy to think for themselves, they often echo other people's opinions and have no answer to offer to any question. They rarely show any enthusiasm for their work.

The tenth are lazy bureaucrats. They lean drowsily on their elbows and ask someone to read aloud to them the written reports submitted by subordinate departments. They casually express their approval or disapproval of the matters in question without even looking at the reports themselves, and if their instructions turn out to be wrong, they shift the responsibility onto someone else. Even when at a loss as to how to tackle a problem, they are unwilling to seek advice from other people, so they either pass the buck or just leave the matter unsettled. They are yes-men in the presence of superiors, always nodding their agreement of making evasive remarks. But they like to order their subordinates about, pretending to know a great deal about matters of which they are in fact ignorant. They appear to get along well with their peers, but actually their thoughts are poles apart.

The eleventh is institutionalized bureaucratism. Institutions are numerous and complicated, people are floating around, beds are overlapping, groups are turning around, people are troubled, they do not work properly, they waste money and destroy the system.

This type of bureaucratism is found in an organization with overlapping and overstaffed departments where many people bustle around inefficiently and aimlessly, and it not only causes financial and material waste but also impedes the normal functioning of the organization.

The twelfth are bureaucrats who are obsessed with red tape and formalism. They are bureaucrats who constantly ask for instructions but don't read them, call on subordinate departments to send in many reports but don't comment on them, and have many statistical records or other data sent to them but make no use of them. They hold many meetings but don't communicate to the participants the directives or decisions of higher authorities. They have many contacts with people but don't discuss matters with them.

The thirteenth are bureaucrats who are always looking for privileges. They are bureaucrats who seek comfort and pleasure but are afraid of hard work. They try to grab personal gain and to seek advantage through "pull". They give dinners and offer gifts to everyone they want to curry favour with, and they take particular interest in decorating their homes with luxurious furniture and ornaments. They want to enjoy as much leisure as possible and don't care whether others are overworked. When dealing with people, they give preference to their own colleagues.

The fourteenth are bureaucrats who put on the airs of high officials. They are bureaucrats who, as they climb the ladder of the official hierarchy, become increasingly ill-tempered and crave ever-higher living standards, including larger rooms, more luxurious furniture and an increasing supply of goods. If leading cadres behave that way, their subordinates are bound to indulge in extravagance and waste and pursue selfish ends by dishonest means.

The fifteenth are selfish bureaucrats. They are bureaucrats who use public office for private gain and pursue selfish ends by pretending to serve public interests. They are like warehouse keepers who steal the goods entrusted to their care, or law enforcement officers who break the law themselves.

The sixteenth are bureaucrats who crave status and gain. Bureaucrats who bargain with the Party for status and social position and are unhappy if their wishes are not satisfied. They shirk heavy responsibilities and prefer lighter ones, and they are very particular about their salaries and material benefits. They curry favour with their colleagues but are indifferent to the well-being of the masses.

The seventeenth are bureaucrats whose dominant feature is disunity.

They are bureaucrats who are in conflict with each other. This results in divided leadership, contradictory policies, slackness in work, mutual exclusion among staff members, alienation of leaders from the rank and file and absence of both centralization and democracy.

The eighteenth are bureaucrats whose hallmark is sectarianism. They are bureaucrats who defy organizational discipline. They choose their friends and relatives for promotion, form small groups to pursue selfish interests and cover up each other's evil-doing, establish feudal relations with others and pursue: factional interests. They place their own advantage above everything else and benefit their cohorts at the expense of the public good.

The nineteenth are bureaucrats who are political degenerates. Bureaucrats who are degenerating politically and whose revolutionary will is on the decline. They like to put on the airs of veterans and flaunt their seniority, they have a particular appetite for good food and drink and they prefer leisure to hard work, often amusing themselves with sightseeing trips to different places. These people are too lazy to use their brains and hands and show no concern for state interests or the people's welfare.

It is really deplorable to let bureaucratism reach this point. Once revolutionary enthusiasm subsides, political degeneration sets in.

The twentieth are the most dangerous bureaucrats. They are bureaucrats who give the green light to unhealthy practices and let wrongdoers go unpunished. They retaliate against anyone who dares to criticize them, act in defiance of law and discipline, stifle democracy and bully the people. They even make no distinction between the enemy and ourselves and connive with wrongdoers to commit offences that jeopardize the interests of the Party and the state.

The report reminds the whole Party that bureaucracy is indeed very harmful and dangerous in our ruling party and in our state organs. Among our leading cadres, bureaucratism is serious although it is a minority, however, the attitude and style of bureaucratism have caused many losses to our work. If we listen to its development and do not resolutely overcome it, it will surely cause more harm. We must not allow bureaucratism to continue to develop.