Establish and Practice the Correct Outlook on Political Achievement | Set a Hard Benchmark Oriented Toward War, Unite Hearts and Minds to Drive Development
A Certain Brigade of the 71st Group Army Vigorously Rectifies the Problem of Prioritizing Investment Over Effectiveness——
Set a Hard Benchmark Oriented Toward War, Unite Hearts and Minds to Drive Development
■ PLA Daily Reporter Hou Yongbo, Special Correspondent Wang Runxin
Recently, during an asset inventory conducted by a certain brigade of the 71st Group Army, it was discovered that a once-bustling gymnasium had almost no one in it—only a handful of soldiers from the garrison detachment came by occasionally to train. This weighed heavily on one staff officer: the gymnasium had originally been a warm-hearted project (暖心工程) meant to benefit officers and soldiers, yet now it sat nearly idle.
It turned out that the brigade had consecutively carried out garrison training (驻训) missions in the same area over an extended period. After some time, many officers and soldiers reported that physical training venues were limited and specialized equipment was insufficient during garrison training. In response, the brigade leadership immediately decided to build a gymnasium on the spot. The gymnasium was quickly completed, and officers and soldiers praised it widely. However, the brigade changed its garrison training location last year, leaving only a small number of personnel to guard the original site, and the gymnasium fell into near-total disuse.
During study and education on establishing and practicing the correct outlook on political achievement (正确政绩观), this case was placed on the table and prompted deep reflection among the brigade's leadership. "The original intention behind building the gymnasium was good, but garrison training is not 'residential training' (驻训不是'住训'). The decision may have looked swift and decisive, but in reality it was a hasty call made without thorough deliberation and investigative demonstration." After in-depth discussion, the brigade Party committee reached a consensus: they must resolutely rectify the erroneous thinking and behavior of "making decisions by slapping one's head, making pledges by slapping one's chest, and walking away by slapping one's backside" (拍脑袋决策、拍胸脯表态、拍屁股走人); they must hold themselves against the hard benchmark of the combat effectiveness standard; and they must work to raise the level of scientific, democratic, and law-based decision-making, uniting hearts and minds to promote high-quality development of unit building.
The brigade subsequently launched a wide-ranging discussion on "for whom is power exercised, and for whom are projects built." Party organizations at all levels conducted in-depth self-examination around whether "image projects" (形象工程) divorced from reality existed, whether resource waste in the form of prioritizing investment over effectiveness existed, and whether the phenomenon of "leaders set the topic, staff organs do the legwork, and the grassroots foot the bill" (领导点题、机关跑腿、基层埋单) existed. They identified a number of problems: in some units, informatized equipment was procured but utilization rates were low; in some units, training equipment was purchased without considering subsequent maintenance, making repairs difficult after damage; in some units, cultural corridors (文化长廊) were built in out-of-the-way corners inconvenient for officers and soldiers to browse and study...
"We must regulate the mechanisms governing the exercise of power and thoroughly rectify the erroneous tendency of prioritizing investment over effectiveness." The brigade leadership told the reporter that they quickly established "three musts" (三个必须) for the management of major project construction: there must be in-depth grassroots investigation to accurately identify genuine needs; feasibility demonstration must be organized by relying on professional expertise; and decisions must be made through collective study by the Party committee. At the same time, the brigade established an "effectiveness tracking, officers-and-soldiers joint evaluation" mechanism, making grassroots satisfaction an important standard for measuring work results.
Once the orientation changed, a new wind swept through. Recently, before a barracks renovation plan was implemented, the brigade Party committee conducted concentrated study against barracks construction standards and rejected on the spot the preliminary plan that exceeded prescribed standards. During the demonstration process for procuring a certain piece of informatized equipment, the brigade Party committee scrutinized every detail to ensure that the procured equipment met unit needs and that the entire process was lawful and compliant...
During the interview, the reporter learned that regarding the nearly idle gymnasium, the brigade Party committee is actively studying plans to put it back into productive use, while proactively inviting grassroots officers and soldiers to contribute ideas and suggestions.
"Adhering to seeking truth from facts, and placing weight on solid work, solid results, and solid effectiveness—that is what it truly means to be responsible to combat effectiveness, responsible to officers and soldiers, and responsible to history!" The words of the brigade leadership at the Party committee meeting carried the weight of iron.