| Today marks the first anniversary of the Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of China which our great leader Chairman Mao personally presided over.
The Ninth Party Congress was a congress with a far-reaching influence in the history of our Party. It summed up our Party's historical experience in the previous 48 years, especially the historical experience of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. It thoroughly liquidated the counter-revolutionary revisionist line of the renegade, hidden traitor and scab Liu Shao-chi. It elected a new Central Committee with Chairman Mao as its leader and Vice-Chairman Lin as its deputy leader and made Chairman Mao's great theory of continuing the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat the basic thinking guiding all Party work. The far-reaching influence exerted by the Ninth Party Congress on the Chinese revolution and the international communist movement has manifested itself more and more fully.
Chairman Mao issued the great call "Unite to win still greater victories" at the Ninth Party Congress. He declared: "Unite for one purpose, that is, the consolidation of the dictatorship of the proletariat. This must be fully achieved in every factory, village, office and school." The year since the congress has been a year of unity, a year of victory, a year in which the dictatorship of the proletariat has been further consolidated.
During this past year, people throughout the country have furthered the mass movement for the living study and application of Mao Tsetung Thought. Chairman Mao's great thinking on continuing the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat has found its way deep into the hearts of the people. Proceeding from the great strategic principle "Be prepared against war, be prepared against natural disasters, and do everything for the people," the whole Party, the whole army and people throughout the country have linked their work closely with the revolution as a whole. Their ideological level has become higher and their revolutionary enthusiasm greater. Our Party and our country have been solidly unified on the basis of invincible Mao Tsetung Thought and vigorously rallied around the Party Central Committee with Chairman Mao as its leader and Vice-Chairman Lin as its deputy leader.
Under the banner of unity for victory of the Ninth Party Congress, the struggle-criticism-transformation movement in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution has been developing step by step. The tasks set by Chairman Mao for the different stages of struggle-criticism-transformation and his proletarian policies are being carried out in region after region, unit after unit. Revolutionary mass criticism is going deeper in all spheres. The struggle to purify the class ranks has made class alignments clearer and dealt blows to the handful of class enemies. The great work of Party consolidation and Party building has made the Party organizations purer, more consolidated and more vigorous. Millions of cadres and educated young people have gone to the countryside to integrate with the workers, peasants and soldiers, bringing profound changes to the look of society. Everywhere over our vast country new socialist things with boundless vitality have come into being. Guided by Chairman Mao's great principle "Grasp revolution, promote production and other work and preparedness against war," our country's industrial and agricultural production is thriving and a new upsurge in the national economy is emerging.
A review of our experience in the course of struggle over the past year leads us to one conclusion: We must resolutely act upon Chairman Mao's instructions. In his political report to the Ninth Party Congress, Vice-Chairman Lin pointed out: "The entire history of our Party has borne out this truth: Departing from the leadership of Chairman Mao and Mao Tsetung Thought, our Party will suffer setbacks and defeats; following Chairman Mao closely and acting on Mao Tsetung Thought, our Party will advance and triumph." The struggle during the past year has once again confirmed this great truth. "We act as Chairman Mao instructs, and advance in the direction he points out" has become the firm pledge of hundreds of millions of revolutionary people. When we act upon Chairman Mao's instructions, we have a clear and definite orientation and correct methods, are able to unite the broadest masses, and are filled with inexhaustible strength. In a word, acting upon Chairman Mao's instructions means victory.
Whether one acts upon Chairman Mao's instructions is a matter of whether one has proletarian Party spirit. Chairman Mao's instructions represent the fundamental interests of the proletariat. Only when one keeps to the proletarian Party spirit, can one resolutely act upon them. It is impossible to act upon Chairman Mao's instructions if one is motivated by selfish ideas, is obsessed with bourgeois factionalism or is not willing to give up the interests of a small faction or group. We should continue to strengthen our proletarian Party spirit, overcome incursions by sectarianism, anarchism and the reactionary theory of "many centres," that is, the theory of "no centre," and ensure that Chairman Mao's instructions are completely carried out.
In celebrating the first anniversary of the Ninth Party Congress, we should again study Chairman Mao's extremely important speeches during the congress, Vice-Chairman Lin's political report to the congress and the new Party Constitution. We should, in connection with the concrete situation in a given locality or unit, think things over carefully: Have we conscientiously, resolutely and strictly acted upon our great leader Chairman Mao's latest instructions on bringing about the revolutionary great alliance and revolutionary three-in-one combination, carrying out revolutionary mass criticism, purifying the class ranks, consolidating and building the Party and so forth? How can we conscientiously carry out struggle-criticism-transformation from now on? And how can we do a better job in even more fully implementing Chairman Mao's proletarian policies and in accomplishing the fighting tasks set by the Ninth Party Congress? We should conscientiously sum up experience, carry our achievements forward, discover our shortcomings and take measures to win even greater victories.
Chairman Mao points out: "We have won great victory. But the defeated class will still struggle. These people are still around and this class still exists." We should firmly grasp the struggle between the two classes, the two roads and the two lines as the key link, strengthen our dictatorship over the handful of class enemies in the political, economic, ideological and cultural fields and root out those counter-revolutionaries who have concealed themselves craftily so as to remove the hidden danger and educate the younger generations. We should continue the revolutionary mass criticism of imperialism and social-imperialism, of modern revisionist ideology and all bourgeois reactionary ideologies and of all erroneous tendencies which run counter to Chairman Mao's revolutionary line. We should raise the consciousness of the revolutionary masses higher in implementing Chairman Mao's proletarian revolutionary line.
Fulfilment of all the fighting tasks set by the Ninth Party Congress calls for further strengthening of Party leadership. The Party exercises its leadership through the Party organizations at all levels leading the revolutionary masses in carrying out the line and general and specific policies formulated by Chairman Mao. All Party members and the revolutionary masses should fully understand the theory of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tsetung Thought on the inter-relationship between leader, political party, political power, class and masses, and consciously safeguard unified Party leadership. As Chairman Mao teaches and the new Party Constitution stipulates, Party organizations at all levels must maintain close ties with the masses, constantly heed their opinions and demands and bring into full play their initiative and creativeness. The better the situation, the greater the need for us to be modest and prudent, guard against arrogance and rashness.
Let us hold aloft the great red banner of Mao Tsetung Thought and advance from victory to still greater victory along the course charted by the Ninth National Congress of the great, glorious and correct Communist Party of China!
(People's Daily editorial April 1, 1970) |
