【Guangming Forum】

Formalism and bureaucracy are stubborn problems. At present, with the development of digitalization, networking and intelligence, new patterns have emerged in formalism. For example, during the use of some applications, forced use, excessive traces, multiple reports, abuse of rankings, and data fraud have occurred.

Formalism is essentially subjectivism and utilitarianism, and its roots are misaligned view of political achievements, lack of responsibility, and utilitarianism, which violates the principle of seeking truth from facts. At present, striving to avoid formalism means adhering to scientific thinking and systematic concepts, being careful of the erosion of subjectivism, influence of bureaucracy, and being disturbed with calmness, resolutely oppose the phenomena of inaction, arbitrary action, and false action, be pragmatic and responsible, and enhance the enthusiasm of grassroots party members and cadres to do things and start businesses.

Adhere to problem-oriented approach and face real problems. Opposing formalism cannot be just about paper and verbalism. The key is to transform it into practical actions and practical work. To eliminate the use of formalism to oppose formalism, we must closely combine the actual situation of our region and department, start from the bottlenecks and difficulties that plague the grassroots, target the bad phenomena in grassroots governance, aim at the focus, find the correct acupoints, grasp the key points, keep a close eye on the problems, put in real effort, and continue to promote rectification and rectification. Through comprehensive inspection and targeted correction, we will continue to loosen and reduce burdens for grassroots units, and fully mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of grassroots party members and cadres to work and start businesses.

To deeply correct formalism, we must be good at grasping the origin, the fundamentals, and the main line, and focus on finding the crux of the problem from the perspective of ideas, work style and leadership methods. Scientifically analyze the manifestations of formalism, conduct in-depth research on the fundamental driving forces of formalism, scientifically grasp the basic characteristics of formalism, correct the source from an ideological perspective, establish rules and regulations from a normative perspective, take real hard work in the implementation of responsibilities, and prevent problems from happening in source governance. We must coordinate the reduction of burdens and empowerment of grassroots units, promote the sinking of resources, services and management to the grassroots units, stimulate the creative vitality of the whole party and society, boost the spirit of party members and cadres to do things and start businesses, and better serve the people.

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clearly proposed to improve the long-term mechanism for reducing burdens at the grassroots level. The General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Several Provisions on the Reduction of Burdens for Grassroots" and made institutional arrangements and work arrangements for the Remediation of Formalism. Based on the new situation and new tasks, we must not only analyze the regional, industry and phased characteristics of formalism, but also grasp the common and repeated formalism problems and deepen the rectification. We will effectively establish a normalized and long-term correction and rectification mechanism around improving efficiency, unblocking channels, streamlining mechanisms, etc., and truly eliminate the phenomena of pretending, making fun of themselves, blindly laying out the situation, so as to gather strength and promote change in efficiency enhancement.

Unless relaxing in rectifying formalism to reduce the burden on grassroots units is an important political task deployed by the Party Central Committee and an important part of the Party’s style construction. On the new era and new journey, we will adhere to the strict tone to strengthen the rectification of work style and discipline, adhere to the party spirit, party style and party discipline, consolidate the foundation from an ideological perspective, improve the party spirit awareness of party members and leading cadres, and inject more vitality into the comprehensive promotion of the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization.

(Author: Yang Binbin, associate researcher at the Institute of Marxism, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)