CHINA-PLA: PLA OFFICERS CAUTION ABOUT NEED TO RE-EMPHASISE PARTY'S ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY OVER PLA AND POSSIBILITY OF SPREAD OF IDEAS OF 'COLOUR REVOLUTION'

In an article in 'China Social Science News' (Issue 2169, May 20, 2021), Ren Long and Lin Wenjie of the Political College of National Defense University and Joint Logistics Support Force Longyan Comprehensive Warehouse Support Team respectively, disclosed that there are serious concerns about the PLA rank and file adhering to the policy of the Party's absolute leadership over the Army. Asserting that "the party’s absolute leadership over the army is the fundamental principle of our party’s army building and ruling the army", the article said "at present, with the firm pace of strengthening the army and rejuvenating the army, grassroots construction has reached a new historical starting point, and profound new changes have taken place in mission requirements, construction connotation, daily operation status, troop organization, the composition of officers and soldiers, and external social environment. This has brought new challenges to the party's absolute leadership over the army to take root at the grassroots level. Only by adhering to the party's absolute leadership of the army leading to an unchanging and uninterrupted line at the grassroots level can we ensure that the majority of officers and soldiers can align themselves in the face of severe tests, fulfil their missions in complex struggles, and continuously enhance the party's "direct power" of absolute leadership over the army." It averred that "To be strong at the grassroots level must first be strong politically. The officers and soldiers of the new era generally lack the training in the severe and complex environment and the baptism of blood and fire on the battlefield. They often lack understanding and mastery of the party's absolute leadership over the military, and coupled with the extremely deceptive political propaganda of the hostile forces, they should be more effective. The soul of the disciplined army". "The second is to clear out the fog of thought. President Xi Jinping pointed out that some Western countries are stepping up to instigate "colour revolutions" in our country, stepping up the implementation of online "Cultural Cold War" and "political genetic modification" projects in an attempt to root out our military officers and soldiers and pull the military out of the party banner. The challenges we face in the field of ideology and political security are very serious. To this end, we must first strengthen positive publicity and public opinion guidance. Consolidate and strengthen the mainstream ideological and public opinion, speak politically with a clear-cut stand, speak up with reason and reason, refute fallacies with reason and evidence, and guide officers and soldiers to grasp correct standpoints and viewpoints. Second, we must strengthen the system's self-confidence in the comparison between China and foreign countries. Looking at the world horizontally, from the "Arab Spring" to the "Arab Winter"... The so-called process of "democratization" in the West has brought about long-term turmoil and war; This kind of hardship, from small to large, from weak to strong, from victory to victory, the most fundamental thing is to always uphold the party's absolute leadership over the army. Finally, we must stick to the main position of online public opinion. As young officers and soldiers of the "media generation", they will inevitably be involved in the struggle of public opinion. This urgently requires us to change our minds, carry out online struggles like a war, and continuously strengthen the ability of officers and soldiers to resist the erosion of social corruption and the infiltration and destruction of hostile forces."

(Comment: The article, interestingly, discloses concern about the political reliability of military cadres. In line with other apprehensions expressed publicly in China's official media by senior CCP cadres about 'colour revolution', this article warns against the spread of such sentiment among the "young officers" in the PLA.)






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