Speech at the 6th National Forum for Deans of Marxist Schools on November 2, 2013
Respected Secretary Yang, distinguished experts:
Today, we convene the Sixth National Forum of Deans of Marxism at Sichuan University, with over 100 experts and scholars from more than 90 research institutes and institutions of higher learning across the country. First, allow me, on behalf of the host organization, the Academy of Marxism of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, to extend warm congratulations on the opening of this forum! I express my heartfelt gratitude for your long-standing direct or indirect support and assistance in various aspects of the work of the Academy of Marxism. To all the experts, scholars, and deans present who have long remained steadfast [1] on the front lines of Marxist theoretical research and propaganda—performing beneficial work for the Party and the people and achieving fruitful academic results—I express my sincere respect! At the same time, I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to all the comrades at the School of Marxism of Sichuan University for their thorough and thoughtful service in organizing this forum.
Our forum is being held against the broad backdrop of implementing the spirit of the 18th National Congress [2] of the Party and promoting the realization of the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the nation. In particular, our Party held the National Conference on Propaganda and Ideological Work in August of this year, where General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a speech that took a clear-cut stand [3]. Studying this speech has truly educated and inspired us deeply. This speech will play a significant role in enhancing our correct understanding of the importance of Marxist theoretical research, teaching, and propaganda work; in strengthening our sense of responsibility for promoting the Sinicization of Marxism; and in ensuring that we push forward the dissemination, propaganda, and innovation of Marxism with a firm stance and correct direction under the new situation. I would like to take this opportunity to share several insights regarding the study of the spirit of the General Secretary’s speech and the further consolidation of the guiding position of Marxism.
First, consolidating the guiding position of Marxism requires changing the situation of being "soft in one hand and hard in the other."
Regarding the relationship between the material and the spiritual, and the relationship between ideological and political education work and economic construction, we have successful experiences as well as lessons learned. In the past, we overemphasized the role of the spirit, to the point where even securing enough food was difficult and various daily necessities required coupons [4]. Later, we corrected this deviation, restored the Party’s ideological line of seeking truth from facts, and persisted in taking economic construction as the center. However, Comrade Xiaoping pointed out very early and very acutely that while the "hand" of economic construction was handled very well and remarkably, the "hand" of ideological and political education and ideological and political work had been relaxed. There existed a situation in our Party’s work where one hand was "soft" and the other was "hard." When Comrade Xiaoping issued instructions for various tasks of the whole Party and nation in the late 1980s and even during his Southern Tour talks [5] in the early 1990s, he criticized this "soft in one hand, hard in the other" situation several times. However, currently, the situation of "softness" in one hand remains unchanged in some Party organizations, regions, and units. Therefore, to implement the spirit of the General Secretary’s speech, attach great importance to the Party’s ideological work, and consolidate the ideological foundation for the united struggle of the whole Party and the people of the whole country, we must effectively change the "soft" hand and earnestly grasp ideological and political work with great importance.
Second, consolidating the guiding position of Marxism requires carrying forward the Party’s fine tradition of organizing and propagating to the masses.
We must, with a clear-cut stand, persist in conducting positive education, positive guidance, and positive infusion [6] of Marxism for the whole Party, the whole of society, and all the people. This is a very successful method for our Party to achieve effective guidance of the people and effective leadership over the Party’s cause. During the "Cultural Revolution," we made some errors in this regard, but later, while correcting those errors, we also discarded the Party’s guidance and propaganda among the masses as "leftist" or as a simple matter of "you guide and I follow." According to our understanding, positive education and guidance for the masses are currently practiced relatively little across the Party and society; in ideological and political work, people even dare not mention the concept of "positive infusion." This state of affairs is unfavorable for upholding the guiding position of Marxism, for the establishment of correct ideological concepts among all people, and for the establishment of socialist core values. Comrade Mao Zedong once said that if socialism does not occupy the positions of ideology and culture, capitalism certainly will. If our Party’s positive education, guidance, and infusion are relaxed, various non-Marxist and even anti-Marxist ideologies will become popular and even occupy ideological and cultural positions. Therefore, to implement the spirit of the General Secretary’s speech, we must strengthen positive education, positive guidance, and positive infusion.
Third, consolidating the guiding position of Marxism requires strengthening the propaganda and education work of Marxism.
The purpose of researching Marxism is to arm the entire Party and the people with scientific theory and to promote the development of the great cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. However, from the perspective of the actual situation, due to various reasons, the propaganda and education of Marxist theory, including the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics, still fail to cover a considerable number of groups in practice. In recent years, with the acceleration of social mobility, a significant number of migrant workers, urban residents, and personnel in non-public units have not undergone systematic political and theoretical study. For example, in many rural areas, when meetings are held to convey the Party’s line, principles, and policies, participants must be paid; a situation exists where payment is exchanged for attendance. The conceptual influences received by many groups in society often come from television dramas, the internet, tabloids sold on the street, and even some illegal publications. These things are influencing our broad base of the masses, which is very dangerous. Therefore, we in the theoretical community have a responsibility to use our work to cover as many people as possible with the scientific theory of Marxism, the fruits of the Sinicization of Marxism, and the socialist core value system, playing as great a role as possible in educating and guiding the people.
Fourth, consolidating the guiding position of Marxism requires strengthening the construction of teams in ideological, theoretical, and cultural work.
The propaganda and education of Marxist theoretical concepts must be disseminated through our theoretical workers—including teaching and research workers—via lectures, published articles, and speeches at forums. It also requires our cultural workers and the cultural sphere to permeate their labor and reflect in their labor products correct ideological concepts, Marxist theory, and socialist core values. If these practitioners themselves do not know much about Marxist theory, or even hold skeptical or negative attitudes while admiring capitalist ideology, then relying on them for dissemination, propaganda, and the creation and production of cultural products will cause great harm to the whole of society. This situation has already appeared in certain places. Therefore, to consolidate the guiding position of Marxism, we must strive to strengthen team construction and continuously improve the ideological and political quality of practitioners. The experts present today are the backbone of Marxist propaganda and education. I hope that you can make even greater contributions in the work of implementing the spirit of the General Secretary’s speech.
Finally, I wish this conference a complete success!
Thank you all!