Chapter 545

Lying in bed, Lu Fan constantly warned himself: shine without ostentation, still waters run deep; when pleased, do not boast; when disappointed, do not sink; in favorable circumstances, do not lose composure; in adversity, do not lose resolve. After becoming Organization Department Head, he must be even more wary of arrogance and impetuosity, speak and act cautiously, to avoid inviting criticism. The tides turn; you never know what tomorrow will bring.

The next morning after seven, Lu Fan tidied his appearance and went to the Provincial Party Committee to report his work to Secretary Tang Bing.

At eight o'clock sharp, Tang Bing stepped out of the elevator, saw Lu Fan, and smilingly said, 'You came early; come in and let's talk.'

After entering, Lu Fan proactively brewed a cup of white tea for Tang Bing and placed it on the desk.

Tang Bing formally said, 'Lu Fan, congratulations! Now, on behalf of the Huayuan Provincial Party Committee, I will give you a pre‑appointment talk.'

Lu Fan immediately straightened his attitude and sat upright.

Tang Bing said, 'After taking office as Organization Department Head, I hope you will fulfill all duties of organizational work with greater enthusiasm, more solid work, and a more pragmatic style, making new and greater contributions to Huayuan Province's economic and social development.'

Regarding strict Party governance and rectifying official conduct, how should we do it? We must avoid a 'gatekeeper' style of selection that only values the 'superior' aspect and neglects the whole process of 'management.' How to 'manage'? It still relies on institutions; only by tightening the institutional cage can management exert power and take effect swiftly.

I have several requirements for doing a good job of provincial organizational work under the new situation: First, raise political standing and strengthen the Organization Department's sense of responsibility. Integrate the requirement to speak politically into main duties, truly making clear‑cut political speech the essential feature, bright background, and cultural foundation of Huayuan's organizational system.

Second, persist in pragmatic innovation, raise the quality level of organizational work, and vigorously foster a clean and upright political ecosystem; at the grassroots Party building level, cultivate more influential and well‑known Party‑building brands, pushing all‑round progress and solidity of grassroots Party organizations in every field; in cadre work, uphold the 20‑character standard for good cadres, truly selecting and employing those who are willing, able, daring, and successful in getting things done, fully leveraging the role of comprehensive assessment as a 'command baton' to better motivate cadres to undertake ventures and start businesses on Wuxi's high‑quality development stage.

Third, build a strong team; following the 'emphasis on fairness' requirement, vigorously foster an atmosphere where the organization shoulders responsibility for cadres and cadres shoulder responsibility for undertakings, better promoting the correct orientation of promoting the capable, rewarding the excellent, demoting the mediocre, and eliminating the poor; following the 'business proficiency' requirement, continually improve abilities such as discerning talent, assigning people suitably, doing mass work, and discovering and solving problems to meet new‑era demands; using concrete actions to relieve the burden on the grassroots, combine strict management with benevolent care, and further establish a reliable, trustworthy, and respectable image for the Organization Department.

Lu Fan expressed his stance: 'Please rest assured, Secretary, I will definitely uphold political leadership, steady progress, systemic thinking, key breakthroughs, and responsible practice, with a high degree of self‑consciousness to strive for first‑class and model status, following the requirements of 'speak politically, emphasize fairness, excel in business, and maintain good conduct,' I will introduce solid and tough measures, striving to forge a high‑quality, professional cadre team that is loyal, clean, and responsible, and endeavoring to make Huayuan the place that most emphasizes party spirit, politics, loyalty, and responsibility.'

After completing the 'procedure,' Tang Bing said: 'Currently the vice mayor of Luojun City, the director of the Industry and Information Technology Department, the organization department head of Bianliang City, and the deputy secretary‑general of the Provincial Government are vacant; the deputy directors of the Water Resources Department, the Culture and Tourism Department, and the Agriculture Department will soon reach retirement age. After taking office, you should quickly familiarize yourself with the situation and enter working condition; important leadership posts must not remain vacant for long.'

Lu Fan immediately replied: 'Okay, Secretary, I will, according to the Provincial Party Committee's instructions and work requirements, promptly identify suitable candidates and produce a cadre adjustment plan for your review.'

Tang Bing nodded and said: 'Seek more opinions from comrades, especially the various division‑leader officials, and uphold the principle of combining democracy with centralization.'

In concrete terms, the principle of democratic centralism means 'collective leadership, democratic centralization, individual brewing, and decision by meeting.'

Lu Fan pondered over this term, unable to figure it out, thinking perhaps the Organization Department should promote democracy while Secretary Tang should be good at centralization!

At 10 a. m. on August 20, the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department held a meeting of its cadres, announcing the superior's decision on the adjustment of the main leadership posts of the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department: Comrade Lu Fan is appointed a member and standing committee member of the Huayuan Provincial Party Committee.

The Provincial Party Committee decided: Comrade Lu Fan shall serve as head of the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department and president (in concurrent capacity) of the Provincial Party Committee Party School; Comrade Zhao Lingyun shall no longer hold the posts of Organization Department head and Party School president. Secretary Tang Bing announced the superior and Provincial Party Committee's decision and gave a speech. Standing Committee member and Organization Department Head Lu Fan delivered a statement of position.

Tang Bing pointed out that assigning Comrade Lu Fan as Organization Department Head was made from the overall perspective, based on Huayuan's revitalization and development needs and the actual situation of the Provincial Party Committee's team building, after comprehensive consideration and careful study, a decision that the Provincial Party Committee firmly supports. The Organization Department leadership team and all cadres must resolutely unify their thinking and actions with the decision, fully support and cooperate with Comrade Lu Fan, and work together to solidify and excel in provincial organizational work.

In his speech, Lu Fan expressed that the new post is both a new starting point and a new responsibility, and he will hold himself to higher standards. Always keep a grateful heart, know gratitude; always keep an enterprising heart, know shortcomings and make up for them; always keep a sense of responsibility, know responsibilities and clarify them; always keep a sense of awe, know rules and observe them.

After the meeting ended, Lu Fan followed Zhao Lingyun to the office.

Zhao Lingyun smiled and said: 'Minister Lu, everything is packed up; I've cleared a spot for you!'

Lu Fan laughed and replied: 'Just turn the corner and I'm there; when I'm free I'll drop by your place for a chat—organization and discipline are inseparable! If there's anything to hand over, just tell me.'

Zhao Lingyun replied: 'I haven't been working in Huayuan long, and I haven't left any loose ends in the Organization Department; we'll just do a normal handover. These are the urgent tasks at hand, I've organized them all for you to review.'

Lu Fan briefly glanced over them and said: 'If there's anything I don't understand, I'll come to you for advice anytime.'

After the work handover was completed, Zhao Lingyun went to take up his post at the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission, and Secretary Tang Bing attended the cadre meeting of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission's organ.

Sitting in the office, looking at the scenery outside the window, Lu Fan felt pleased and proud!

Soon after, Secretary‑General Li Yu entered with some materials, reporting: 'Minister, this is the basic situation of our Organization Department, plus today's documents.'

Lu Fan took the documents and examined them: total annual expenditure amounted to 18,655.00 million yuan, of which basic expenditure was 8,595.50 million yuan, including personnel expenses of 7,278.10 million yuan and public expenses of 1,317.40 million yuan; project expenditure was 10,059 million yuan.

There are a total of 10 vehicles: 2 for the minister's use, 1 for leading cadres, 1 for secure communications, and 5 for emergency support.

The Organization Department's organ has 17 functional offices: Office, Personnel Office, Research Room, Inspection Office, Organization Section One, Organization Section Two, Organization Section Three, Cadre Section One, Party‑Government Cadre Office, Cadre Section Two, Cadre Section Three, Cadre Section Four, Cadre Section Five, Civil Servant Management Office, Cadre Supervision Office One, Cadre Supervision Office Two, and Performance Evaluation Office.

Together with the Provincial Party Member Education Center and the Provincial Cadre Education and Training Center, these two are budget‑managed units under its purview. The Provincial Party Committee Organization Department uniformly manages provincial civil servants and the Provincial Editorial Office.

The budget‑managed units have a total staff establishment of 267 people, of which 166 are administrative posts and 101 are public‑institution posts; there are 214 employed staff and 75 retirees.

After looking at a few more documents, delivering files is not the secretary‑general's duty, showing that Li Yu is a thoughtful person.

Zhao Lingyun's tenure in the Organization Department has been short, and he has not yet allowed the department to fully 'form a united force,' which is advantageous for Lu Fan.

Looking at the leadership division of labor document, Lu Fan asked: 'Li Yu, how long has Lin Dian been in charge of the Civil Service Bureau?'

Li Yu immediately replied: 'Minister, two years and four months!'

Lu Fan, thinking, asked: 'Regarding the civil service recruitment for which the department is responsible, are there any unfair or unreasonable phenomena in the interviews?'

Li Yu pondered briefly and replied: 'Minister, I have indeed heard some unfavorable rumors, but I believe the vast majority are fair and just.'

Lu Fan nodded, said nothing more, and concentrated on reviewing the documents.

Li Yu suddenly felt a bit flustered, knowing he was facing a major test in his life.

After weighing the pros and cons, Li Yu made a decision and said softly: 'Minister, I have heard that Deputy Section Chief Lin gave some people a green light; when he was in charge of the college‑student village officials, he additionally approved some out‑of‑plan slots, all recorded, with the rationale of supporting poor counties; at that time I happened to be the head of Organization Section One.'

Lu Fan raised his head and said: 'Organize the materials! Organization Department cadres must be clear‑cut in party spirit, with firmer attitudes and stricter demands, building a strong line of defense against corruption and degeneration.'

'Okay, Minister, I'll get ready right away.'

Lu Fan continued: 'Get in touch with the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government; this afternoon I'll go sit with Secretary Mingyang and Governor Linghao.'

The phone rang, and Li Yu voluntarily withdrew.

Lu Fan answered the call and asked: 'Zhengyang, anything wrong?'

Dou Zhengyang laughed and replied: 'Secretary, everything in the city is normal; it's just that comrades want to go visit the leadership.'

Lu Fan said: 'Tell them no one is allowed to come; don't cause me trouble—doing your work well is my greatest support, and you keep the 'home' in good shape!'

'Okay, Secretary, I'll give them a "dead order"!'

As noon approached and work was about to end, Executive Deputy Minister Zou Weipeng pushed the door open, smiling and said: 'Minister, it's time for lunch; unfamiliar with the route, I've come especially to be your guide.'

Lu Fan rose and said: 'You say that, and I really am hungry; heaven and earth are vast, but eating is the greatest—thanks for the trouble!'

When Lu Fan entered the cafeteria, the Organization Department's cadres instantly sat up straight, seeing the young minister walk into the private room, and everyone seemed to let out a breath of relief.