Page 136 - SELECTED WORKS OF CHEN YUN Volume I

132 CHEN YUN

struggle against them. But when he himself was asked to carry out a Party
decision, he completely reversed his position, arguing against the decision
and showing contempt for discipline. It seemed to him that Party discipline
was laid down for everyone except himself. That is impermissible. Article 44
of the Constitution of the Communist Party of China states, “It is the
supreme duty of all Party members and Party headquarters at all levels to
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strictly abide by Party discipline.” This applies to “all Party members.”
That is to say, whether you are a member of the Central Committee or an
ordinary Party member, whether you are a veteran or a new recruit, you must
observe discipline. By “Party headquarters at all levels,” the Constitution
means all leading bodies from the Central Committee down to the branch
committee; they must all observe discipline. In short, there are no privileged
persons or organizations within the Party that are above discipline. First of
all, you should make sure that you yourself abide by discipline. You should
combat any tendency to breach discipline and, above all, any such tendency
in yourself.
So what does it mean to abide by discipline? In essence, it means to carry
out the Party’s decisions promptly and faithfully. Why should that be
regarded as abiding by discipline? Because the Party has formulated the
principles that “the individual is subordinate to the organization; the
minority is subordinate to the majority; the lower level is subordinate to the
higher level; and the entire membership is subordinate to the Central
Committee.” These principles are designed to ensure that decisions are made
on the basis of democratic centralism and on that same basis to guarantee
unity of will and action in the Party. Party decisions and Party discipline
must be supported not only in word but in deed. You are truly observing
Party discipline only when you carry out the decisions of both the Central
Committee and your next higher-level organization. Why do we say it is
necessary to do so “promptly and faithfully”? Because that is the test of
whetner you are truly complying or just going through the motions, dragging
your feet and perhaps even deliberately misinterpreting decisions. The Party
does not allow any of its members to agree with a decision in public and
oppose it in secret.
Why does the Communist Party attach such importance to discipline?
The reason is simple. It is because the Party is leading the proletariat and
other working people in a struggle for complete emancipation, which is no
easy task. One of the fundamental conditions for victory in the revolution
is that the party of the proletariat be an organized, unified force. We have
no other weapons but organization and unity; therein lies our strength. Strict
discipline is needed to guarantee that organization and unity. After the