Page 14 - SELECTED WORKS OF ZHOU ENLAI Volume II

12 ZHOU ENLAI

not only the right to make a request of the Central Government but
also the right to ask the leading comrades in your localities to give
such a talk on overall policies and principles at regular intervals. Some
people say that those are state affairs that ought to be kept secret and
not revealed to anyone who asks. Some state affairs do indeed require
secrecy, but there are also some that do not, and even secret matters
should be handled selectively. I think major state affairs should be
made known, and we should encourage everyone to learn about them.
Others say that since everyone has a heavy work load, it is enough
for him to fulfil his assignments without taking time to learn
about state affairs. That is the attitude of a clerk conducting business
in the old society. In New China administrative staff should have
a sense of responsibility towards their own country. If they do,
thousands upon thousands of enthusiastic and creative staff members
will come to the fore.
Elaborating on what I have said just now, I am going to touch
on two issues. First, I want to talk about the state financial and
economic plans, which will give you a picture of the overall situation.
We have begun to shift our work as a whole from military operations
to construction, and our financial and economic plans are the embodi-
ment of some of the policies adopted by the government in this new
situation. For instance, it can be seen from these overall plans which
activity is to be considered the most important — military operations
or construction — and, within construction, which sector is to be given
major emphasis — industry or agriculture. Cultural, educational,
diplomatic and other government policies are also reflected in these
plans. Second, I want to talk about the relations between different
aspects of the economy of New China. The key to success in our
work is to handle these relations correctly and to be clear about our
priorities.

ON THE STATE FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC PLANS

The state budget for 1950, approved by the Central People’s
Government Council, will be effective for only one year. Why?
Because the war is still going on. The area around Chengdu, Tibet,
Taiwan, Hainan Island and a few other places have not yet been
liberated. Under these circumstances, it is not possible to lay out a