Guangming Daily:
Rural governance is essential to the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy. Two parts of the five-point general requirement, namely social etiquette and civility and effective governance, are related to rural governance. My question is for Mr. Han. What policies does this year's "No.1 Central Document" offer to strengthen and improve rural governance? Thank you.
Han Changfu:
Thank you for your question. You are a very good learner. Effective governance is an important part of the five-point general requirement for rural revitalization. This is not only about boosting economic growth, but also promoting the all-round development of rural areas. Rural governance is critical to rural revitalization, as it concerns farmers' sense of happiness and security, law and order, as well as the foundation of Party's governance in rural areas. At present, there are still many problems in rural governance, especially at community-level. For example, in terms of social etiquette and civility, there has been a resurgence of bad marriage and funeral traditions, and a refusal to fulfill the requirements of filial piety; in some places, rural gangs are undermining farmers' sense of security and happiness; some community-level Party organizations in rural areas are weak, with lax discipline and being unqualified to serve and mobilize farmers; some farmers' self-governance organizations are also failing to play their due roles. Therefore, major policies have been formulated in this year's "No.1 Central Document" to improve the overall level of rural governance.
The first is to improve governance mechanisms in rural areas. We need to optimize the Party organization-led leadership institutions and working mechanisms that integrate self-governance, rule of law and rule of virtue, improve village-level consultation systems, and ensure that the people play the principal role in governance, so that rural areas can enjoy great vitality, harmony and good governance. Following the requirements made by the CPC Central Committee, we drafted policies to strengthen and improve rural governance to reinforce guidance in this key task.
The second is to strengthen the rural spiritual civilization construction. It is absolutely necessary to guard the rural ideological and cultural fronts, guide farmers to practice socialist core values, tap the excellent traditional culture of the countryside, refine rural concepts and customs through village rules and regulations, and replace old stereotypes with civilized rural customs.
The third is to build a peaceful village. It is necessary to further advance the special campaign against evils, resolutely investigating and dealing with harmful practices and corruption in rural areas, improve the mechanism for mediating and resolving disputes, and investigating and controlling hidden dangers to rural public security, so as to foster a healthy atmosphere of integrity, harmony and stability.
The fourth is to do a good job in building community-level Party organizations in rural areas. A solid foundation is the premise for future work. It is necessary to rectify resolutely any weakness and laxity in community-level Party organizations, select right leaders for them, strengthen and improve the leadership of the community-level Party organization for various organizations at village level, and strengthen the service functions. At the same time, it is very important to improve the funding mechanism for operation of village-level organizations, which is a key policy highlighted in the document. It is necessary to develop and strengthen the collective economy according to local conditions. Through these measures, we can give play to the critical role of rural Party branches, and improve rural governance capabilities and the supporting systems. It should be said that such tasks are still very arduous. Implementing the document can ensure that rural governance plays a key role in rural revitalization. Thank you.
