Chapter 54 Cadres should appear as ordinary laborers[1]

(May 20, 1958) Talk about the problems that appear in the attitude of ordinary workers.The reason why this question is specifically raised is because some of our cadres are the best in the world, look down on people, rely on their qualifications for a living, and when they become officials, especially high-ranking officials, they are unwilling to appear as ordinary workers.This is a very bad phenomenon.If the majority of cadres can appear as ordinary laborers, the minority of cadres will be isolated and the habits of bureaucracy can be changed.Relying on being a high-ranking official and relying on qualifications hinders the display of creativity.Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of the official atmosphere, to sweep away the official atmosphere, and to sweep away this official atmosphere among the cadres.Whoever has the truth should obey him, whether it is a manure picker, a coal digger, a street sweeper, or a poor farmer, as long as the truth is in their hands, he must obey them.If your ruler is great, but the truth is not in your hands, he cannot obey you.Again, if most of the cadres get rid of their official aura, the remaining ones are easy to sweep away even if they have official aura, because they are isolated.Official air is a kind of low-level taste. Putting on airs, putting on qualifications, treating people unfairly, and looking down on others are the lowest tastes, and this is not the noble spirit of communism.Appearing as an ordinary laborer is a high-level interest and a noble communist spirit.It is possible to do this and prevent great power chauvinism.If most of our cadres, especially the leading cadres, treat others with a scientific attitude, with a modest attitude, a correct attitude of modesty and not a false modesty, and appear as ordinary workers, the chauvinism of a big country can be prevented. It's not scary anymore.

Published based on the transcript of the speech kept by the Central Archives. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] This is part of Mao Zedong's speech at the Second Session of the Eighth National Congress of the Communist Party of China.