Chapter 31 Speech at the Second Session of the First National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

(June 14 and 23, 1950) an opening speech Dear members, comrades, and friends: The second meeting of the National Committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference is now in session.At this meeting, there are reports on conference affairs, land reform, economic and financial work, taxation work, diplomatic and united front work, cultural and educational work, military work, court work, etc., which I hope to discuss.Among them, land reform was the central topic of the meeting.We hope that a land reform bill will be passed at this meeting, and it will be implemented after approval by the Central People's Government. First of all, more than 100,000 cadres who are preparing to carry out land reform work will learn this bill as soon as possible, so that about 10,000 cadres will learn about this bill after this autumn. Areas with more than 10,000 agricultural populations can carry out the reform of the land system smoothly.Naturally, all other reports are important, and any opinions can be expressed, and any proposals can be considered, and those who can do it should be adopted.We have the great and correct "Common Program" as a criterion for checking work and discussing problems. The Common Program must be fully implemented. This is the fundamental law of our country today.I believe that through the efforts of all comrades, our meeting will successfully complete its tasks.Now the people of the whole country, under the leadership of the Central People's Government, are doing enormous work to overcome difficulties and strive for a better economic situation.All the people's causes in our country are developing along a new track, progress and achievements can be seen every day, and no difficulty can stop the progress of the people's cause.The People's Political Consultative Conference and its elected National Committee are political organizations that unite the great united front of all nationalities, democratic classes, democratic parties, people's organizations and democrats from all walks of life in the country. prestige.We must consolidate this unity, strengthen our united front, and lead the people of the whole country to steadily achieve their goals.

According to the publication of "People's Daily" on June 15, 1950. 2 closing remarks This meeting summed up the experience of the past period and decided on various policies. This kind of work of summing up experience and deciding on policies is done by all of us together, and is done by gathering representatives of all nationalities, democratic classes, democratic parties, people's organizations and democrats from all walks of life.Here, not only the members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, but also many staff members of the Central People's Government, the people's governments of major administrative regions (military and political committees), and the people's governments of various provinces and cities attended the discussion, and there were also consultation committees of people's representatives from all walks of life in various provinces and cities. Delegates from all over the country attended the discussion, and many specially invited patriots attended the discussion.In this way, we can gather a wide range of opinions, examine past work, and decide on future policies.I hope that we will continue to use this method in the future, and I hope that the people's governments (military and political committees) of the major administrative regions and the people's governments of all provinces and cities will also adopt this method.Our meetings are advisory meetings for the time being.But in fact, the Central People's Government will of course adopt and see to implement the decisions we make at such conferences, and should adopt and see to implement them.

We unanimously approved the report on the affairs of the National Committee and the various work reports of the Central People's Government.There are reports on land reform work, political work, military work, economic and financial work, taxation work, cultural and educational work, court work, etc., and they are all good reports.In these reports, the work experience in the past period is appropriately summarized, and the work policy for the future is stipulated.The reason why we have so many topics at this meeting is that since the founding of our new country, all aspects of work have been pioneered and developed, and the people of the whole country are vigorously carrying out the great struggle of the real people's revolution on all fronts. On the military front, on the economic front, on the ideological front, and on the front of land reform, there are extremely great struggles unprecedented in history. All tasks have to be summed up and guidelines are to be directed, so we have this many topics.Our meetings are required by law to meet twice a year, and there will be a meeting with many topics and a meeting with fewer topics.China is a big country with an actual population of more than 475 million, and it is in the great historical period of the people's revolution. This situation requires us to do so, and we have done so. I think we are doing the right thing .

Our meeting has many topics, and the central topic is the reform of the old land system.Everyone agreed with Vice Chairman Liu Shaoqi's report and the draft land reform law proposed by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and made some beneficial amendments and supplements to the draft land reform law.This is very good. I am happy and congratulate that tens of millions of rural people in New China have gained the opportunity to turn around and the country has achieved the basic conditions for industrialization.The main population of China is peasants, and the revolution was won only with the aid of peasants, and the country's industrialization was only successful with the aid of peasants. Therefore, the working class should actively help peasants carry out land reform, and the urban petty bourgeoisie and the national bourgeoisie should also This kind of reform should be supported, and all the democratic parties and people's organizations should adopt this attitude.War and land reform are two "passes" that test all people and all parties in China during the historical period of New Democracy.Whoever is on the side of the revolutionary people is a revolutionary, and whoever is on the side of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism is a counter-revolutionary.A person who is on the side of the revolutionary people in words but not in deeds is a verbal revolutionary, but a complete revolutionary who is on the side of the revolutionary people not only in words but also in deeds.The hurdle of the war has basically passed. We all have passed this hurdle very well, and the people of the whole country are satisfied.Now it is time to pass the land reform test, and I hope that all of us will have a good time just like we have passed the war test.If we study more, discuss more, clear our minds, step in unison, and form a great anti-feudal united front, we will be able to lead the people and help them pass this hurdle smoothly.Once the war hurdle and the land reform hurdle have passed, the remaining hurdle will be easily passed, that is, the hurdle of socialism, the hurdle of implementing socialist transformation nationwide.As long as people have made contributions in the revolutionary war and in the reform of the revolutionary land system, and in the economic and cultural construction for many years to come, when the nationalization of private industries and the socialization of agriculture are implemented in the future still far in the future), the people will not forget them, and their future is bright.This is how our country is advancing steadily. After wars and new-democratic reforms, in the future, after the country's economic and cultural undertakings have greatly prospered, when various conditions are met, and when the people of the whole country have matured their thinking and are ready to After everyone agrees, we can enter the new period of socialism calmly and properly.I think it is necessary to clarify this point, so that people can have confidence and not hesitate. I don’t know when you will not want me. Even though I want to serve the people, I have no chance.No, it will not be like this. As long as whoever is willing to truly serve the people, really helps the people when they are still in difficulty, does good deeds, and does it consistently, and does not give up halfway, then the people and the people's government There is no reason not to want him, no reason not to give him a chance to live and to be effective.

With regard to this lofty goal, we must firmly unite with the Soviet Union, the people's democracies and all peaceful and democratic forces in the world abroad, and we must not waver or waver in the slightest.Domestically, we must unite all nationalities, democratic classes, democratic parties, people's organizations and all patriotic democrats, and we must consolidate the great and authoritative revolutionary united front that we have already established.No matter who, whoever contributes to the consolidation of the revolutionary united front, we welcome him, he is right; whoever does harm to the consolidation of the revolutionary united front, we oppose him, he is wrong of.To achieve the goal of consolidating the revolutionary united front, the method of criticism and self-criticism must be adopted.The standard used in adopting this method is mainly our current fundamental law, the Common Programme.We have adopted a critical and self-critical method in this meeting, that is, in accordance with the Common Programme.This is a very good method, a very good method to promote everyone to uphold the truth and correct mistakes, and it is the only correct method for all revolutionary people in the people's state to carry out self-education and self-reform.There are two methods of people's democratic dictatorship.As far as the enemy is concerned, the method of dictatorship is used, that is, for a necessary period of time, they are not allowed to participate in political activities, forced to obey the laws of the people's government, forced to engage in labor, and transform them into new people during labor.As far as the people are concerned, it is the opposite, not by coercion, but by democratic methods, which means that they must be allowed to participate in political activities, not by forcing them to do this or that, but by using democratic methods to educate and educate them. The work of persuasion.This kind of educational work is self-education among the people, and criticism and the method of self-criticism are the basic methods of self-education.I hope that all nationalities, democratic classes, democratic parties, people's organizations and all patriotic democrats in the country will adopt this method.

According to the publication of "People's Daily" on June 24, 1950.