Special Issue on Building the Military Through Politics · Political Rectification Training | Riding the Same Vehicle, Closing the Distance Between Officers and Soldiers
Riding the Same Vehicle, Closing the Distance Between Officers and Soldiers
■ Zhuge Jiahao, PLA Daily Special Correspondent Fu Kang
"Those going to the hospital for medical appointments, consolidate onto Vehicle No. 6; those going to higher-level organs on official business, take Vehicle No. 3 uniformly…" On a spring morning, a Navy brigade's vehicle dispatch preparations proceeded in an orderly fashion. Xiao Lou, the motor pool duty officer, allocated personnel and vehicles according to a consolidated plan, with not a single redundant trip.
"Officers and enlisted soldiers riding the same vehicle?" Noticing that a brigade leader was also aboard, the reporter was somewhat curious.
"After the brigade introduced the consolidated vehicle dispatch mechanism, officers and soldiers board vehicles according to their travel routes, regardless of rank," Xiao Lou told the reporter. Previously, official vehicles had problems of high empty-run rates and low support efficiency. Now, through unified dispatch by the duty room, trips with the same time and route are merged and coordinated, vehicle fuel consumption has dropped noticeably, and work efficiency has improved.
"This way, relations between officers and soldiers have also grown closer," Xiao Lou said, and recounted the following experience.
On one occasion, the brigade political commissar was passing through the motor pool when he noticed through the Vehicle Dispatch Plan that a vehicle heading to a higher-level organ for a meeting and official business had a capacity of five but was carrying only three, leaving two empty seats. During the same time window, a deputy chief of staff traveling to the same destination had taken a separate vehicle, with most of its seats empty.
The political commissar sought out Xiao Lou, who had been responsible for vehicle dispatch that day, and asked about the situation: "When one vehicle could clearly fit everyone, why was a separate vehicle dispatched?"
Faced with the question, Xiao Lou haltingly voiced some of the concerns among officers and soldiers: some felt that leaders needed to think through work matters and handle official business on the road, and feared that more people would be a disturbance; some worried that consolidated vehicle use would inevitably require detours for pickups and drop-offs, delaying the leader's schedule; still more felt uncomfortable riding in the same vehicle as a leader and would rather wait an extra half-day or make an extra trip themselves. Weighing these considerations, the motor pool had defaulted to dispatching separate vehicles for leaders, and some leaders had tacitly accepted this arrangement.
"The reason rank-and-file soldiers harbor such misgivings ultimately lies with the Party committee organs. If leading cadres would set aside their airs in their daily conduct and proactively draw close to rank-and-file soldiers, these misgivings would naturally dissipate over time." After learning the situation, the political commissar reflected: one important dimension by which the masses judge whether a cadre is competent is how that cadre's image and prestige appear—whether the cadre puts on "official airs (官架子)."
"Whether leading cadres can maintain the character of an ordinary Party member and an ordinary soldier bears on military morale and spirit, on internal relations, on conduct and image, and on the ability to fight and win battles." At an office meeting, the political commissar put the matter on the table, criticized and educated the deputy chief of staff, and took the lead in examining his own privileged thinking (特权思想). He told everyone that leading cadres setting aside their "official airs" is by no means a lowering of their status, but rather a matter of breadth of vision and a sense of responsibility. In the course of deepening political rectification training (政治整训), they must lead by example, take the initiative in correcting their own privileged thinking, and inspire and guide officers and soldiers through exemplary image and conduct.
"When it comes down to it, I simply had not sat on the same bench as the rank-and-file soldiers." The deputy chief of staff offered an on-the-spot self-criticism, conducted a thorough self-examination, and asked everyone to supervise his rectification.
Seizing on this as an opportunity, the brigade organized organ cadres to carry out self-examination and self-correction discussions and analysis, guiding everyone to abandon privileged thinking and take the lead in implementing regulations. Building on this, the vehicle use mechanism was further refined, with explicit requirements that all official vehicle use by leading cadres be brought under unified brigade dispatch.
Another morning arrived. An official vehicle stopped in front of the office building. The deputy chief of staff stepped aboard briskly, patted the empty seat beside him, and waved warmly to the soldiers riding along: "We're all comrades—no need to stand on ceremony."
The vehicle slowly pulled out of the garrison. At first the cabin was somewhat quiet. The deputy chief of staff took the initiative to ask everyone about their recent lives and training. Soon the soldiers also set aside their reservations, talking about difficulties in training, everyday matters in their lives, and suggestions about food and logistics support. The deputy chief of staff listened attentively and responded patiently; the cabin, which had been a bit subdued, became a "mobile heart-to-heart room (移动谈心室)."
"I always used to think, 'you can't just get into a leader's vehicle' and 'getting too close to a leader is seeking special treatment'—turns out I was overthinking it…" Watching everyone speak up one after another, voicing the misgivings they had kept to themselves, the deputy chief of staff reflected inwardly: "The extra kilometer driven to pick up and drop off officers and soldiers is, in fact, the closest kilometer (最近的一公里) to the hearts of the soldiers."