On January 4, the Communist Party of China (CPC) amended the “Regulations on the Protection of Party Members’ Rights” to encourage party members to “repent and reform”, “spirit of struggle” and “speak from the heart”. “The “four consciousnesses” advocated by Xi Jinping were added. Cai Xia, a former professor at the Communist Party School, believes that the new regulations have instead strengthened the control of all party members, she asked, “What does the fate of Ren Zhiqiang, who told the truth, tell us?
The CPC Central Committee announced the revised “Regulations on the Protection of the Rights of Party Members of the Communist Party of China” on January 4. Compared with the old regulations, the newly revised “Regulations” has more than 2,000 words, increasing from 38 to 52 articles. This is another revision after 16 years.
In the CCP’s official media and propaganda, the focus is on Chapter 2, which promotes the refinement of the “13 rights of Party members,” including the seemingly democratic 13 rights of the Party, such as the right to be informed, the right to participate in discussions, the right to propose and initiate supervision, and the right to put forward different opinions.
However, a comparison shows that Article 1 of the new Regulations removes the 2004 version’s “adherence to the principle of democratic centralism” and “safeguarding the normal exercise and inviolability of the rights of Party members” and adds “adhering to the Party’s leadership and strengthening the Party’s construction”; Article 2 adds provisions on adhering to the philosophy of Marx, Lenin, Mao, Deng, Jiang and Hu, and “Xi Thought” as guidance, as well as “enhancing the four consciousnesses, strengthening the four self-confidences, and achieving the two safeguards”.
Radio Free Asia reports that Cai Xia, a former professor at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, believes that the adherence to the philosophy of Ma, Lenin, Mao, Deng, Jiang and Hu in the new Regulations are all empty words, while the “four consciousnesses, four self-confidences and two safeguards” are the truth. And the “two four, a two”, are Xi Jinping’s ideas.
In the new “Regulations” in the new party members subject to probationary punishment, a new concept of “repentance”. The newly revised “Regulations” reads: “During the period of probation, the party has shown repentance, after the expiration of the period should be restored to its membership rights. This is also the first time “to support and encourage party members to carry forward the spirit of struggle.”
In this regard, Cai Xia said, “What do you mean by repentance? Repentance, on behalf of their own defilement of themselves, no human dignity.” “And to encourage the spirit of struggle is to help remove dissidents and persecute dissent within the party.”
Article 4 of the newly revised “Regulations” adds that “Party members should enhance the concept of the Party and the awareness of the main body” and encourages party members to “tell the truth, the truth, and the heart to the Party organization”. Cai Xia criticized that the new Regulations are based on “power and control”. She asked, “What does the fate of Ren Zhiqiang, who told the truth, show?
Ren Zhiqiang, a second-generation Communist Party member and former chairman of Huayuan Group who is known for his “outspokenness,” was put on probation for one year in 2016 for ridiculing “the central media as the Party.
Despite the harsh suppression of freedom of expression, there are still many outspoken people inside and outside the system. In addition to Ren Zhiqiang, Xu Zhiyong, Xu Zhanyun, Zheng Yefu, Geng Xiaonan, Cai Xia, Fang Fang, and others have spoken out against the scales. They have paid a heavy price for their words and actions.
Cai Xia, who is also a second-generation Red, was also expelled from the Communist Party and had her retirement benefits revoked and her bank account blocked for criticizing Xi Jinping.
Cai Xia had previously criticized Xi Jinping for acting like a “gangster” and said, “The CCP is a political zombie. The party itself, it is impossible to complete the transformation of China this historical task. So it must go down”, “not we let it down, but the whole history will throw it away.”
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