Chapter 43 Section 3 Meetings Advocating Reform

I still want to say that the depth and breadth of discussions on reform in the economic field at the Central Work Conference is relatively insufficient compared to the political and ideological fields.At the same time, I also want to say that it ended the initial stage of the primary stage of Chinese socialism—that is, the situation of economic stagnation, political turmoil, cultural decline, and poverty, and entered the reform stage of the primary stage of Chinese socialism.This Central Working Conference and the immediately following Third Plenary Session were a turning point in Chinese history. I deeply understand that these two conferences are the ones advocating reform.

There are several places where the Central Work Conference did not fully discuss the reform: first, in principle and theory, the concept and necessity of reform were not explained in depth and systematically, and there was no such awareness and level at that time; It is implemented in actual economic work, mainly concerned with the reform of the management system. In terms of ownership and distribution, it has only been touched in a relatively narrow range and failed to face up to these problems.As for abandoning the planned economy and establishing a market economy, of course I didn’t even dare to think about it at the time. Being able to affirm the role of the commodity economy and attach importance to the law of value was regarded as an act of daring to think and speak.

Deng Xiaoping was at the forefront in advocating reform, and the one who thought the most extensively and deeply. In addition to what Deng Xiaoping said at the Central Work Conference that everyone knows, what was conveyed to the Standing Committee at the report meeting of the conveners, the conversation with us in the process of preparing the speech for the closing meeting of the conference, and other speeches On the occasion, he also talked a lot.What he spoke was freer and more open than what he wrote.I feel that his clear and sharp ideas about the shortcomings of my country's economic system and how to carry out reforms are much higher than those of other comrades at that time.

He told us as he prepared for his closing remarks: "Our system does not encourage and support people to dare to think, speak and act, not only politically but even economically. The spiritual encouragement is not enough, and the material encouragement is not enough. We must encourage people to dare to innovate and do everything possible... Now it is a matter of doing well and not doing well. It’s the same, or even more than the same. People who have done well will be punished. People who do not do well will get unanimous votes, because they will not offend others, and everyone thinks they can get by. The government system in our country is like this, and the system within the party is also In this way, a strange phenomenon occurs.”

Deng Xiaoping said this passage when he asked us to consider "the reasons for the rigidity of thinking". Deng Xiaoping said in this talk that enterprises implement the responsibility system, through the responsibility system, through rewards and punishments, those who should be promoted will be promoted, those that should be degraded will be degraded, and those who are unqualified will be degraded.The requirements for employees should be very strict, and they should be spanked if they are not done well.Then he said that we should not only spank but also pay more attention to rewards, and material rewards should also go to specific people-specific groups and individuals, which is more effective than spanking.He also cited Singapore and Japan as examples, where "some factories reward workers with half a year's salary to buy a car, and three months' salary can buy an old car."He also said that the production order there is very good.

This kind of competition is often promoted in factories in our country. Deng Xiaoping said in response to this situation: the word "competition" needs to be carefully considered.We often engage in some formalism here.Appraisals, dinners, visits, and deceit.Deng Xiaoping had a strong market concept.He expressed dissatisfaction with the planned economy competition that was popular at that time.He said that the real competition depends on the results and the market.He said: In short, there are rewards and punishments, and they must be linked to economic interests. During the Central Work Conference, he repeatedly said that economic methods should be used to manage the economy.He advocated doing well, not only the employees, but also leading cadres. Not only should they have spiritual encouragement, but they should also get more and get rich first.He believes that enthusiasm cannot be achieved without economic means, and we cannot just focus on style, which is fine for a small number of advanced elements but not for the masses, for a period of time, but not for a long time for a lifetime.The economy must be managed economically.

With regard to "allowing some enterprises, regions, and members to get better first", this is a point that Deng Xiaoping prominently put forward.He speaks a lot about this point.I can’t remember whether he mentioned this point of view before the Central Work Conference. At the Central Work Conference, this point of view was not the first time he talked with Hu Yaobang and me on December 2. At the meeting of the people's report, he said that this issue should be regarded as one of the "two major policies". The first policy is "to make some areas better and richer".He also calculated that if 5% of the counties and 5% of the population were relatively rich, there would be 100 counties and 40 million people in the whole country, which is equivalent to a large country. If the counties and population are tenths, then it is a big country.He made a list of 19 areas that he estimated would get better first, and the first one mentioned was Shenzhen in Guangdong, which shows that he had noticed this place a long time ago.He believes that the condition for getting rich there first is to be able to carry out foreign trade work.He considers not only the region, but also the individual.Individuals are of course associated with regions.He said that in well-developed and fast areas, wages can be raised, which is also a big policy.He said that 5% of the peasants should have purchasing power first, and some workers in the cities should have purchasing power. If you make up your mind, it will be even better if you can achieve 8%.He also cited rural descriptions in some places.He said that a production team in Beijing became rich by beating stones, and that after seven or eight years of planting fruit trees, it would pay off, and so on.He also said that some enterprises, regions, and members should be allowed to recover first.He said "get well first", and also said "get rich first". In his speech at the closing meeting, he wrote "get rich first". In my notebook, he said "get rich first" on different occasions. I remember he also said something like "If the people live a rich life, try to be top-notch".He opposed egalitarianism, saying that it was a big policy, and if it was done well, it would be better than being left behind.

The second policy he mentioned was "decentralization".He said that agriculture is to enable the production teams to "seek truth from facts, emancipate their minds, and adapt to local conditions", empower the production teams so that they can follow the rules, and see whether people's income has increased or not if they are doing well.In addition, at an earlier meeting where the Standing Committee listened to the report of the convener, he said: to give power to the localities, especially in planting, the central government will never interfere. The localities are more familiar with the local conditions than the central government. positive right".He believes that there are too many criticisms of the "Three Freedoms" and that the right things are regarded as wrong, and the urban and rural areas are ruined.

At that meeting of the Standing Committee, Deng Xiaoping said: Whichever province or region has the conditions, it can borrow from foreign countries, but the debt must be repaid, and there is interest. Don't interfere after the regulations are made.He advocated that the subordinates should be given the right to maneuver, and there should be a wide range of activities under the unified plan. At a meeting of the Standing Committee listening to the report, Deng Xiaoping said: "Now a brigade is equivalent to a village. The production team must be managed in the same way as an economic organization, and basically it must be transferred to economic management. Use economic methods to manage the enterprise, so that the lower levels can have some power, and the lower levels can indeed be activated. Enterprises don't just have to listen. Do what the higher-ups tell you, and do what the community and team need.”

Deng Xiaoping also said that decentralization is a "big policy". Theoretically speaking, the Central Work Conference does not have much reform, but the spirit of advocating reform is very strong.