Chapter 510: Chapter 469: Confrontation at the Standing Committee (Second Update)_1
 

November 7, 1998

This was the standard convening time for the bi-monthly Standing Committee meeting. The topics concerning the Standing Committee had already been determined at the previous secretary’s office meeting.

Liu Sicun, the secretary-general of the Municipal Party Committee, had also already distributed documents related to the discussions and issues of the Standing Committee meeting to each permanent committee member.

9 AM

All the standing committee members were present in a small conference room on the 15th floor of the Wanghaishi Municipal Party Committee office building. At such gatherings, there is no need for seating arrangements; everyone naturally finds their own seat.

At 8:55, Zhang Zusi, the full-time deputy secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, took a leisurely stroll into the room. Zhang is a very low-profile man among the standing committee members, maintaining an unobtrusive presence.

Around 8:57, Mayor Wang Yaguang also walked in. Usually a friendly man, he appeared a bit serious at this moment, silently sitting down in his designated spot.

At 9 o’clock, the conference room door was pushed open from the outside, just in time for Shi Yiwu to stride in. Behind him, his secretary Zhang Xiaohai held a teacup and a briefcase which accentuated Shi’s commanding presence. Shi took the cup from Zhang Xiaohai and sat down in his own seat.

“The meeting will begin, comrades. Please set aside the work in your hands for now.” Shi Yiwu said solemnly as he looked around at the attending standing committee members. In a serious tone, he continued, “The main topic of this meeting is to study the spirit of Secretary General Yuan’s speech at the Central Economic Work Conference last month. We must persist in sustainable economic development. The topic is profound and insightful. Comrades, we must all study deeply and understand the essence of the central leadership’s thought.”

Upon hearing this sentence, Nie Zhenbang felt a wave of joy. Finally, the central government has taken this step. From a broad perspective, this measure will have a substantial impact on the future economic development strategy of the entire Huaxia. At the very least, once this rigid rule is issued, there will be fewer instances of blind development across the country. This will also bring some benefits to ordinary people. On a personal level, this approach was first pioneered by him in New Li City, and regardless of the circumstances, this achievement will partly be credited to him.

After a round of discussion and study, Shi Yiwu once again said, “The second topic of discussion is about personnel matters. The issue of the position of the director of the municipal finance bureau. Comrade Zhang, as the full-time deputy secretary, could you inform us about the situation?”

Seeing this, Nie Zhenbang looked at the organizational minister Liu Yafu sitting beside him. Ordinarily, personnel arrangements are part of the organizational minister’s duty. Although the full-time deputy secretary is in charge of party and mass affairs and personnel work, they only provide guidance and do not involve themselves in specific tasks. Otherwise, there would be no point in appointing an organizational minister.

However, in Wanghai City, Zhang Zusi has essentially taken up the responsibilities of Liu Yafu. It must be said that this is quite a pity for Liu Yafu.

“Well, regarding the position of the director of the Finance Bureau, the general situation is that due to his age, Director Zou of the Finance Bureau has reached retirement. Considering Director Zou’s health, he won’t be able to finish this term. After considering various factors, the city has decided to select a new director to take over Director Zou’s role and ensure that the city’s financial management and construction work are well serviced,” Zhang Zusi said. His voice was not very loud and even seemed a bit weak.

However, everyone in the room could hear him clearly. It had to be said that Zhang Zusi was not a simple character.

Zhang Zusi then looked at Liu Yafu and said, “Minister Liu, does the organization department have any opinions?”

At this moment, Liu Yafu appeared very calm upon hearing this. With no noticeable emotional fluctuations, he opened his notebook and began to read in a textbook manner, “After detailed investigations and research by the organization department, there are currently two suitable comrades. One is the current deputy director of the Finance Bureau, Xu Jianhua. This comrade is an undergraduate from Minan University’s Department of Finance and Economics. His professional capabilities are outstanding. He has worked in the Finance Bureau as a regular cadre, a deputy chief of the Planning Section, a chief of the Budget Section, a chief of the Personnel Section, a deputy director, and is now the executive deputy director. In a nutshell, he is very familiar with the bureau’s work process and does not require acclimation. In fact, he has been effectively managing the bureau’s work.”

Liu Yafu paused briefly and then continued, “Another candidate is the current deputy principal of the Municipal Party School, Comrade Bao Zaihua. This comrade’s political integrity and work style are quite solid…”

By this point, Nie Zhenbang completely lost interest in listening further. The organization department’s evaluations are more or less the same, fitting a formulaic model. Every candidate has numerous highlights to his name.

However, to the outsiders who don’t understand the inner workings, it might seem very fair and just, as if all the candidates are equally suitable, the results of a truly democratic election carefully considered by the party committee and the government. But in reality, it’s not like that at all.

Take the present for instance. Among the two candidates, Bao Zaihua, is clearly just a bystander merely accompanying the Crown Prince. Regardless of how suitable he is, could he be more suitable than Xu Jianhua? Furthermore, Bao Zaihua’s strengths, mostly lie in his strong political acumen and high ideological quality. But these traits and his actual working capability are worlds apart. Anyone with a discerning eye would understand the hidden meaning behind Shi Yiwu’s words.

Subsequently, the other standing committee members also sequentially expressed their own opinions and views. Since the focuses for figures like Gu Dongliang, the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, and the Secretary of the Disciplinary Committee are different, they wouldn’t risk offending Shi Yiwu over the appointment of a mere director of the finance department.

At this moment, Shi Yiwu turned to Nie Zhenbang with a smile, “Deputy Mayor Nie, do you have any suggestions regarding the candidate for the director of the finance department?”

Ever since he was cornered by Nie Zhenbang, causing him to lose face previously, Shi Yiwu had considerably restrained his demeanor. At the moment, he spoke in a calm tone to Nie Zhenbang.

Shi Yiwu was a wily politician, did he think he could fool Nie by asking for his opinion while hiding the real purpose beneath the surface? He had just arrived in WangHai City, and if he were to voice any opinion or view, it might give the standing committee members the impression of him being domineering. Criticizing the arrangements of staffing upon just reaching WangHai, wasn’t that a display of dominance?

This could harm his reputation in WangHai City. Not wanting that outcome, Nie Zhenbang casually said, “Secretary Shi, I have no opinions. After all, I just arrived in WangHai City and am not too familiar with the comrades here. As the saying goes, without investigation, there is no right to speak. I fully respect the standing committee’s resolution.”

Following this, there were no surprises in the meeting. In the voting of the standing committee, Xu Jianhua was unanimously elected as per the standing committee’s resolution. He simply had to wait for the end of the pre-appointment announcement period, and then he could take office as the new finance department director.

However, at this moment, Qi Siyuan suddenly chimed in, saying: “Secretary Shi, comrades, I have something that I’d like to mention here.”

Qi Siyuan’s unexpected move stunned everyone, and even Shi Yiwu was caught off guard, his face turning grim. He had a bad feeling about Qi Siyuan’s statement due to his identity as the secretary of the disciplinary committee. Typically when the inspector took the initiative to speak out, most could guess the subject of his discourse.

After a deliberate pause, Shi Yiwu soberly said, “Comrade Qi, why don’t we leave this matter for the next standing committee meeting?”

Suddenly, Nie Zhenbang interjected: “Secretary Shi, I think since Secretary Qi has brought up the topic, we might as well let him speak. Since Secretary Qi finds it necessary to discuss, it must be something urgent. If we leave it to the next standing committee meeting, it will just delay the matter further. That’s not the way to go.”

Shi Yiwu’s face unintentionally twitched at Nie’s words. Nie Zhenbang had cleverly grasped his point of vulnerability. Shi Yiwu didn’t believe that Nie Zhenbang didn’t understand. His previous talk about postponing implied that he would rather discuss it privately beforehand.

The standing committee meetings were public occasions. This did not leave room for anything that needed further operations to be arranged. However, Nie Zhenbang’s clever act of playing dumb left Shi Yiwu in a helpless state. He coldly glared at Nie Zhenbang and said, “In that case, Comrade Qi, please state your business.”

Then Qi Siyuan’s gaze flickered towards Nie Zhenbang. Following that, Qi Siyuan said: “Secretary Shi, comrades, I received an anonymous accusation letter against the Vice Mayor of WangXia, Comrade Guo Liangwen, last night.”

Qi Siyuan, then, brought out the already copied documents from the table and distributed them to everyone present. He continued: “The accusation states that Guo Liangwen is guilty of accepting bribes, keeping a mistress, and maintaining a corrupt life. Also, they mentioned a few properties owned by Guo Liangwen in Wanghai City. I think since they are so certain, why doesn’t the Disciplinary Committee head the investigation of Guo Liangwen.”

After his words, the meeting room fell silent. A few moments later, Liu Sicun, the secretary-general of the municipal party committee, laughed awkwardly, saying, “Secretary Qi, these faceless accusers, who can’t even write their names – it would be imprudent to believe them outright and investigate our comrades at the basic level. Otherwise, we might harm their enthusiasms if they turn out to be innocent.”

Secretary Zusi also nodded, saying: “Secretary Liu is correct. If we have to investigate based on every detailed anonymous letter, the Disciplinary Committee will be overwhelmed. If they’re able to supply such specific information, they should directly approach Secretary Qi to clarify the situation. We are all working for the country and the government. From time to time, we offend some people. Sometimes, a strict approach towards some local enterprises can provoke jealousy. Therefore, I don’t think there’s any need for an investigation.”

PS: My old house in my hometown collapsed in the recent heavy rains. Luckily, nobody lives there and there were no casualties. I will go check back when the weather is better. I estimate I may have to return later. I deliver two continuous updates, the third one around eight, the fourth one around ten, and I ask for monthly vote support. (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome your vote and monthly ticket at Qidian.com. Your support is my biggest motivation.)