Personnel Political Work

PLA Daily Commentator: Drive the Centralized Rectification of the Prominent Problem of New Officials Ignoring Old Debts to Achieve Concrete Results

解放军报评论员：推动集中整治新官不理旧账突出问题取得实效

PLA Daily (解放军报) 18 June 2026

Summary

A PLA Daily commentator article, framed as part of the ongoing 'correct outlook on political achievement' study and education campaign, directs Party committees at the regimental level and above to conduct centralized rectification of the practice of incoming commanders abandoning or ignoring commitments made by their predecessors—covering combat training, construction projects, welfare measures, and unresolved safety risks. The article documents a recognized institutional dysfunction in PLA unit governance: leadership rotation creates accountability gaps that degrade combat capability building, waste resources, and erode troop trust in Party organizations. This fits a persistent pattern in PLA political work of using campaign-style rectification to enforce continuity norms that routine personnel and accountability systems have failed to sustain.

Translation

Drive the Centralized Rectification of the Prominent Problem of New Officials Ignoring Old Debts to Achieve Concrete Results

■ PLA Daily Commentator

Good governance values continuity; administration must have consistency. The centralized rectification of the prominent problem of new officials ignoring old debts (新官不理旧账) is an important task within the study and education campaign on establishing and practicing a correct outlook on political achievement (正确政绩观).

Chairman Xi has emphatically pointed out: "Consciously act in accordance with objective laws; do not pursue political achievement through seeking quick wins, falsification, or blind recklessness; and eliminate the phenomena of new officials ignoring old debts and 'image projects' (形象工程) and 'political achievement projects' (政绩工程)." Party organizations and Party member cadres at all levels in the military must earnestly implement the spirit of Chairman Xi's important instructions, treat the centralized rectification of the prominent problem of new officials ignoring old debts as an important entry point for rectification and remediation, proactively acknowledge debts without shirking responsibility, precisely settle accounts without going through the motions, and close out accounts in a closed-loop manner without delay—winning the recognition of officers and soldiers through tangible and perceptible concrete results.

The cause of strengthening the military is a great cause of continuous struggle, requiring generation after generation to carry it forward, one hammer blow after another. Advancing the cause of strengthening the military with a correct outlook on political achievement is reflected both in resolving present contradictions and in clearing up and resolving old debts. What are called "old debts" appear on the surface to be "the previous incumbent's affairs," but in essence they are development questions that have yet to be fully answered—a "mirror" reflecting the sense of responsibility and capability of Party member cadres. These old debts are connected to the vital interests of officers and soldiers, to combat capability building, and to the credibility of Party organizations and Party member cadres. For new officials to settle old debts is a matter within the duties and obligations of Party member cadres, and it is also an important political achievement in consolidating the foundation for a unit's development. The process of settling old debts is itself a process of clearing bottlenecks, pursuing development, opening new situations, and building new accomplishments.

Positions may change hands, but responsibility admits no gap. When new officials settle old debts, what they are settling is the inheritance of responsibility, what they are reckoning with is the will of the people, and what they are planning for is long-term development. In practice, a small number of leading cadres, eager to put forward new ideas and create political achievements, blindly "switch tracks" on "old debts" left by their predecessors—such as combat training and war preparation, construction projects, and plans to do practical things for the people—regardless of whether those debts are right or wrong. Some evade, delay, and dodge when faced with difficult problems in combat capability building; some play "pass the grenade" (击鼓传雷) with historical legacy problems; some are inattentive and halfhearted in continuously resolving the urgent difficulties, worries, and expectations of officers and soldiers; and still others have long turned a blind eye to risks and hidden dangers involving safety and stability. These problems are typical manifestations of a deviant and misaligned outlook on political achievement; they run directly counter to the Party's nature and purpose, political stance, Party spirit principles, and conduct requirements. They seriously waste military resources, harm combat capability building and the vital interests of officers and soldiers, damage the image and authority of Party committees and organs, and obstruct the smooth advancement of national defense and military modernization. Party organizations and Party member cadres at all levels must raise their perspective, attach great importance to this matter, and—with the spiritual realm of "success need not be attributed to me" (功成不必在我) and the historical responsibility of "success will certainly have my contribution" (功成必定有我)—intensify rectification efforts, be determined to achieve concrete results, and let officers and soldiers feel new changes and a new atmosphere.

The key to the centralized rectification of the prominent problem of new officials ignoring old debts lies in turning the blade inward to precisely identify and examine problems, and in strictly and realistically driving hard rectification. It is necessary to carefully sort through and investigate problems, adhering to a small-entry-point, concrete approach—conducting item-by-item comparative checks against the prominent manifestations of new officials ignoring old debts, and, in conjunction with problems reported through discipline inspection and supervision, inspection tours (巡视巡察), and audit oversight, sorting out and refining the specific problems of new officials ignoring old debts within the Party committee leadership body at the given level. It is necessary to strengthen analysis and assessment, adhering to concrete analysis of concrete problems, conducting comprehensive assessment from the perspectives of policies and regulations, development effectiveness, and risks and hidden dangers, and putting forward specific opinions on handling and disposition. It is necessary to carry out precise and practical rectification, adhering to seeking truth from facts and grasping objective laws—carefully analyzing the causes of problems and the risks and hidden dangers, scientifically advancing rectification according to degree of difficulty, immediately correcting what can be corrected immediately and acting on knowledge as soon as it is gained; for problems that have formed historically and cannot be fully resolved in a short time, maintaining relentless focus and persisting in rectification until it is complete. It is necessary to strengthen supervision and inspection, adhering to open-door rectification—listening to the opinions of officers and soldiers when identifying problems, and submitting the situation and results of rectification to the supervision and judgment of officers and soldiers; in particular, timely reporting to the force on the rectification and resolution of old debts about which officers and soldiers have raised strong complaints.

The centralized rectification of the prominent problem of new officials ignoring old debts is a practical necessity for driving high-quality development of the force. Party committees at the regimental level and above must bear overall responsibility for the centralized rectification work, carefully organizing and planning it, implementing it in a classified and orderly manner, and advancing it steadily in accordance with laws and regulations. Party committee secretaries and deputy secretaries must fulfill their responsibilities as the primary responsible persons, taking the lead in sorting out existing problems, formulating rectification measures, and driving hard implementation on the ground. Other members of the leadership body must fulfill their "dual responsibilities in one post" (一岗双责)—both carrying out their own rectification tasks and supervising the areas and departments under their charge in conducting centralized rectification work—transmitting pressure level by level and consolidating responsibilities at each level, ensuring that the centralized rectification work does not deviate in direction, does not slacken in intensity, and does not lower its standards. It is necessary to persist in integrating the centralized rectification of the prominent problem of new officials ignoring old debts with advancing combat training and war preparation, rectifying problems identified in inspection tours, continuously rectifying formalism to reduce burdens on the grassroots, and doing good work on safety and stability—achieving organic integration and mutual promotion, driving the study and education campaign to go deep and be implemented in earnest, and striving to create achievements worthy of the Party, worthy of the people, and worthy of the era.

Original Chinese

推动集中整治新官不理旧账突出问题取得实效 ■解放军报评论员政贵有恒，治须有常。集中整治新官不理旧账突出问题，是树立和践行正确政绩观学习教育的一项重要任务。习主席强调指出，“自觉按规律办事，不在追求政绩上搞急功近利、弄虚作假、盲目蛮干那一套，杜绝新官不理旧账和‘形象工程’、‘政绩工程’”。军队各级党组织和党员干部要认真贯彻落实习主席重要指示精神，把集中整治新官不理旧账突出问题作为整改整治的重要切入口，主动认账不推诿、精准理账不敷衍、闭环销账不拖延，以可感可及的实际成效赢得官兵认可。强军事业是接续奋斗的伟大事业，需要一茬接着一茬干、一锤接着一锤敲。以正确政绩观推进强军事业，既体现在解决现实矛盾上，也体现在理清旧账、解决旧账上。所谓旧账，表面看是“前任的事”，本质上是尚未答完的发展考题，是折射党员干部担当和能力的“镜子”。这些旧账连着官兵的切身利益，连着战斗力建设，连着党组织和党员干部的公信力。新官理旧账，是党员干部分内之事、应尽之责，也是夯实单位发展根基的重要政绩。理旧账的过程，本身就是一个消堵点、谋发展，开新局、建新功的过程。岗位有更替，责任无断层。新官理旧账，理的是责任传承，算的是民心向背，谋的是长远发展。现实中，少数领导干部急于出思路、创政绩，对前任推进的练兵备战、建设项目、办实事计划等“旧账”不管正确与否盲目“换赛道”，有的面对战斗力建设矛盾难题推拖绕，有的对历史遗留问题搞“击鼓传雷”，有的接续解决官兵急难愁盼不用心不尽心，还有的对涉及安全稳定的风险隐患长期视而不见。这些问题，是政绩观偏差和错位的典型表现，同党的性质宗旨、政治立场、党性原则、作风要求等背道而驰，严重浪费军队资源、侵害战斗力建设和官兵切身利益、损害党委机关形象威信，阻碍国防和军队现代化顺利推进。各级党组织和党员干部必须提升站位、高度重视，以功成不必在我的精神境界、功成必定有我的历史担当，加大整治力度，务求取得实效，让官兵感受到新变化新气象。集中整治新官不理旧账突出问题，关键在于刀刃向内精准查摆、从严求实狠抓整改。要认真梳理排查，坚持小切口、具体化，围绕新官不理旧账的突出表现逐条进行对照检查，并结合纪检监察、巡视巡察、审计监督等反馈问题，梳理细化本级党委班子新官不理旧账的具体问题。要加强分析研判，坚持具体问题具体分析，从政策法规、发展效益、风险隐患等方面进行综合研判，拿出具体处理处置意见。要精准务实整改，坚持实事求是、把握客观规律，认真分析问题成因、风险隐患，区分难易程度科学推进整改，对能立即改的要立行立改、即知即改；对历史形成、一时难以完全解决的问题，要盯住不放，锲而不舍整改到位。要加强监督检查，坚持开门整治，查摆问题听取官兵意见，整改情况及成效接受官兵监督评判，特别是对整治解决官兵反映强烈的旧账要适时向部队通报。集中整治新官不理旧账突出问题，是推动部队高质量发展的现实需要。团级以上党委要对集中整治工作负总责，精心组织谋划，分类有序实施，依法依规稳健推进；党委书记、副书记要履行好第一责任人责任，牵头梳理存在问题、制定整改措施、狠抓落地落实；班子其他成员要履行“一岗双责”，既抓好自身整改任务落实，又督促分管领域、分管部门抓好集中整治工作，层层传导压力、逐级压实责任，确保集中整治工作方向不偏、力度不减、标准不降。要坚持把集中整治新官不理旧账突出问题与推动练兵备战、巡视巡察整改、持续整治形式主义为基层减负、抓好安全稳定工作等结合起来，做到有机融合，相互促进，推动学习教育走深走实，努力创造无愧于党、无愧于人民、无愧于时代的业绩。