Guiding Principles For Inner-Party Political Life

Important Guidelines for Inner-Party Political Life was promulgated by the Fifth Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party on February 29, 1980. Contained in Selection and Compilation of Important Documents since the Third Plenary Session of the CPC Central Committee (Vol. 1)

The formulation and promulgation of the “Guidelines” demonstrated the determination and confidence of the CPC Central Committee in rectifying and building the Party. Full text consists of 12 points.

(1) Adhering to the Party's political and ideological line is one of the most fundamental principles in the Party's political life.

To adhere to the correct ideological and political line, we must oppose and criticize ideological rigidity, the denial of the socialist path, the dictatorship of the proletariat, the leadership of the Party and the erroneous views of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought.

(2) Adhering to collective leadership and opposing individual arbitrariness.

Collective leadership is one of the highest principles of Party’s leadership . Party committees at all levels, from the Central Committee to the grass-roots level, should implement a system of combining collective leadership with division of labor and individual responsibility, and no major issues should be decided by individuals outside the organs.

(3) Maintaining the Party's centralized unity and strictly abide by the Party's discipline. Democratic centralism is the fundamental organizational principle of the Party and every Party member should safeguard the Party's centralized unity and strictly abide by Party discipline.

(4) Adhering to Party spirit and eradicate factionalism.

The Party is a unified fighting collective composed of advanced proletarian elements and opposes factionalism and all forms of factional activities.

(5) Being honest and act in line with it.

To be loyal to the cause of the Party and the people, being honest, act honest, to be true, to be open and aboveboard, and to be consistent with the outside and the inside are the qualities that a communist should have.

(6) Carrying forward inner-Party democracy and correctly handling different opinions. We should have a full discussion of the issue, as long as we do not oppose the basic political position of the Party, do not engage in intrigue, and do not spread statements in violation of the Party's lines, principles and policies among the masses, we should not be considered as violating the Party discipline and be punished for making mistakes in our understanding.

(7) Protecting the rights of Party members from infringement.

(8) Elections should fully reflect the will of the electors.

(9) Fighting against wrong tendencies, bad people and bad deeds. In order to rectify the Party's style, consolidate the dictatorship of the proletariat and carry out the four modernizations with one heart and one mind, we must fight against wrong tendencies, bad people and bad deeds. Lack of Party spirit is manifested as the failure to stop, fight and avoid wrong tendencies and bad deeds.

(10) Correct treatment of comrades who have made mistakes. First of all, we must strictly distinguish two kinds of contradictions of different nature. We should adopt the principle of “learn from the past, cure the disease and save people” and “unity-criticism-unity” to achieve the goal of both clarifying the mind and uniting the comrades for the comrades who have made mistakes.

(11) Under the supervision of the Party and the masses, leading cadres of the Party at all levels are not allowed to be privileged, they are all considered as public servants of the people and have no right to make specialisation in politics and life. Party members should never be allowed to use their powers for personal gain.

(12) Study hard to be both Red and Expert. "Red" means having a firm political direction and adhering to Four Cardinal Principles; "expert " means learning and mastering professional knowledge for aim of modernization construction. Being expert does not necessarily equal to being “red”, but “red” cadres should be experts. This historial document has not only summarized the experience of dealing with the inner-Party relations and rectifying the Party's style, but also put forward the tasks and requirements of the Party building in the new era which embodied the characteristics of the times, it has important theoretical and practical significance for solving important problems in the sphere of Party building.