Chapter 34 of 100

Chapter 34

18 min read4,378 words

Chapter 26: Intense Controversy

"The Tianma Township dispute has caused a very negative impact. I believe that Comrade Liu Jian is no longer suitable for any leadership position. If people like him continue to hold leadership roles in the Party and government, it will tarnish the Party and the leadership!"

Yang Zixuan's resolute and powerful voice echoed for a long time in the meeting room of the Standing Committee.

"Liu Jian's work style during his tenure as a township government leader was lax. He even introduced the shocking per capita tax policy and, together with Wu Xiong, pushed for it to become a township party committee policy, leading to widespread public discontent! Such officials with low quality cannot govern a region! The quality of officials is crucial for the development of a place! I had not conducted any research in Tianma Township before, but after handling the dispute, I spent a whole day thoroughly visiting every village in Tianma Township! The situation I saw was shocking and heart-wrenching! I believe the Tianma Township government is ineffective. Despite collecting a large amount of tax revenue every year, the roads are still muddy, and the villagers live in thatched and brick houses, often without enough food to eat!"

Yang Zixuan's tone grew increasingly heavy.

"Regardless of whether they have violated discipline, based on these issues alone, I suggest removing Liu Jian and Wu Xiong from their leadership positions. Such officials who are incompetent and do nothing should be firmly removed to make room for young, capable, and proactive officials. Only then should the Discipline Inspection Commission intervene to investigate their actual situation and determine if there are any disciplinary violations!"

"County Chief, are you being a bit too harsh? Wu Xiong indeed has problems, but as the executor of the township party committee's decision, Liu Jian himself has no major issues. How can you generalize his quality as an official based on this? I believe Comrade Liu Jian's personal party spirit is still strong. Chairman taught us to look at problems from two sides. As the township party secretary, Wu Xiong pretended to be sick and avoided the problem during the Tianma dispute. He also forcibly pushed for the per capita tax policy at the township party committee meeting, and he should bear the main leadership responsibility. I have no objection to this. However, Liu Jian himself has no major issues and should be treated differently. Therefore, I disagree with removing Comrade Liu Jian from his leadership position. From a stability perspective, it is not advisable to replace both the party secretary and the township head simultaneously in Tianma Township. Comrade Liu Jian has served in Tianma Township for many years, and it is appropriate for him to continue as the township head."

Su Nan held his teacup, his voice low but resonating throughout the meeting room, his fingers white from gripping the cup too tightly.

The Standing Committee of Hongshui County had not seen such a tense and confrontational situation between the two top leaders in a long time.

Even Lin Ruoshui, Liu Xiao, Wang Dongming, Huang He, and the other Standing Committee members were feeling their hearts race.

The atmosphere in the Standing Committee meeting was too intense!

"Please do not misinterpret my meaning. Perhaps Liu Jian was not the main driver of the per capita tax policy, but in many long-standing problems in Tianma Township, Liu Jian should indeed bear leadership responsibility. Tianma Township collects a significant amount of tax revenue each year, but this money is not used to build roads or public facilities. Instead, it is used for public consumption and lavish spending, which has become a widespread trend in the entire Tianma Township government. The township government office building is even more modern and new than our county government building, all built on the hard-earned money of the people. Much of the tax revenue from the villagers is not used for public infrastructure, and over 60% of the children in Tianma Township are out of school! 60%! What does that mean? It means that most children in Tianma Township can only attend school up to the second or third grade before dropping out to help with farm work! Can Liu Jian really have no responsibility for this? Unless he is trying to shirk his responsibility."

Yang Zixuan took a sip of water, cleared his throat, and countered methodically.

"According to the data submitted by the Statistics Bureau and the Planning Commission this year, Tianma Township continues to lead our Hongshui County in the bottom of economic development. Moreover, from the economic development of Tianma Township over the past few years, it is clear that the township government lacks a clear strategy, or even worse, is completely inactive, just getting by. They have never seriously considered how to develop the economy, improve people's livelihoods, or utilize the advantages of Tianma Township. The township government has never issued any relevant documents on these issues, and I believe they have never taken them seriously. This is one of the main reasons I suggest adjusting Liu Jian's leadership position and replacing him with a proactive, capable, and hardworking official!"

"County Chief Yang, I think your thinking is very dangerous!" Su Nan said coldly, his tone no longer as polite as usual. He usually just called him "County Chief," but now he added the surname.

"Oh? I would like to hear more about that." Yang Zixuan was not about to back down. He was determined to remove Liu Jian today, but he did not understand why Su Nan was putting up such strong resistance, nor could he figure out why Su Nan was so determined to protect such a poor township head.

"I think County Chief Yang's thinking has a tendency towards bourgeois liberalization! This is very dangerous! Overemphasizing the economic development of Tianma Township, with a vulgar and Westernized economic development view, while ignoring the necessity of stability in Tianma Township. This kind of thinking is extremely dangerous and must be stopped!"

Su Nan's tone was stern, and the other Standing Committee members drew a sharp breath.

"Comrade Secretary Su, you just told me not to generalize, but aren't you doing the same now!" Yang Zixuan said calmly. "If I were to report what I said earlier to Secretary Lin and Mayor Tang in the city, I doubt they would label me as a bourgeois liberal. On the contrary, some people are always obsessed with so-called struggle tactics and have forgotten the purpose of our Party and government: to serve the people. They always loudly proclaim the slogan of serving the people, but in reality, they never pay attention to the needs and interests of the people. This kind of thinking is truly unacceptable."

Su Nan's face turned red like a pig's liver, looking extremely ugly, his fingers tightly gripping the teacup. "Who are you talking about! Are you criticizing me indirectly or insinuating something?"

"Of course not, Comrade Secretary Su, I am just talking about some people!" Yang Zixuan said with a faint smile.

"After handling the dispute in Tianma Township, I have already reported the entire situation to Secretary Lin of the Municipal Committee. He made an important directive on the phone, stating that all the main responsible leaders involved in the per capita tax policy must be strictly investigated and punished. There should be no leniency. Leniency towards them is a lack of responsibility to the Party, the state, and the people!" Yang Zixuan said with a faint smile, looking at Su Nan's face.

Su Nan's face immediately changed, his pupils behind the thick glasses suddenly contracting!

This directive was Yang Zixuan's final trump card!

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