Chapter 614: Assessment Rankings

At exactly 4:00, the three of them arrived at Wang Jingchen's office as Municipal Party Secretary, and Provincial Party Committee Secretary‑General Ma Yuze was responsible for taking minutes.

After sitting down, Wang Jingchen said gloomily, "How disgraceful! Now Huayuan has become a complete laughingstock! Lingyun, report the specific contents of the 'Notice'."

"Understood, Secretary!" Zhao Lingyun said solemnly, "On January 15, the Discipline Inspection Committee issued a notice: 'Report on the Work Situation of Rectifying Improper Conduct and Corruption Issues Around the Masses.'"

The report noted that in our province's Yiyang City, during the rural residential environment renovation, the main road sides were required to keep wild trees and weeds at a stump height of about 10 cm, and the masses were organized to conduct a 'Human‑Grass Battle.' Director Du Wenlong led a team for a covert inspection, and after clarifying the situation, issued a public notice nationwide.

The notice stated that Yiyang City made arbitrary decisions detached from reality and contrary to the wishes of cadres and the masses, issuing a 'one‑size‑fits‑all' document that cared only about 'face' and ignored substance. The road sides were repeatedly mowed and kept clean, yet the villages—especially back‑streets and alleys—remained dirty and chaotic; along the road, some houses received 'white‑washed walls' and 'added blue tiles,' while other village houses received no renovation, creating a stark contrast and distorting the remediation work.

Furthermore, the notice pointed out that our province's inspection and assessment are excessive and overly frequent, with multiple layers of added pressure. Yiyang City implements 'one covert inspection and one notice per month, one assessment per quarter,' while Xixian implements 'one notice daily, one ranking weekly, one evaluation every half month, and one reward‑punishment each month.' At the grassroots level, supervision inspections and observation evaluations are conducted even more frequently, increasing the burden on grassroots cadres and the masses.

The notice especially emphasized that our province suffers from severe formalism: outwardly tidy and uniform, but behind the white walls lies chaos and smog, reflecting local officials' distorted view of achievements. Such behavior burdens the people and wastes resources, incites public anger, 'wipes away' the government's credibility and the masses' sense of gain, producing a painfully instructive lesson. The province is required to carry out immediate rectification and hold the responsible parties accountable.

Wang Jingchen nodded and said, "Just now, Secretary Xiao Bin called me, demanding strict handling of the relevant personnel and an immediate comprehensive rectification. We must attach great importance; let's discuss your views."

After a moment of silence, Governor Liu Linghao said, "The nature of Yiyang City's problems is severe, leaving Huayuan Province without a face. The root cause of these issues lies in formalism, bureaucracy, and a twisted view of achievements."

The Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government must be uncompromising toward formalism and bureaucracy, conduct comprehensive reviews and targeted rectifications, continuously ease the burden on the grassroots, establish a talent policy that values practical work and real results, and urge all provincial leaders to be responsible and entrepreneurial.

Especially at year‑end and the beginning of the new year, various supervision and assessments arrive in succession; formalist and bureaucratic issues such as 'excessive documentation' and 'material achievements' are prone to sprout and rise. We must address them with greater resolve and force, firmly preventing the 'Four Winds' problems from rebranding themselves or resurfacing!

After talking at length without any substantive suggestions, Wang Jingchen turned his gaze toward Lu Fan.

Lu Fan, not as slick as Liu Linghao, thought for a moment and said, "Secretary, Yiyang City's formalism has already sparked public opinion, bringing negative impact to Huayuan. The Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government need to speak out quickly, handle public supervision cautiously, respond promptly, and address the negative sentiment. This requires us to make special arrangements and immediately produce a handling plan."

Furthermore, with the attention of higher‑level departments and Secretary Xiao Bin, the Provincial Party Committee must show the appropriate attitude and resolve. I suggest immediately dealing with the responsible parties, imposing severe penalties; Xixian is the source of the public opinion, so consider removing the County Party Committee Secretary as a warning, dismissing all responsible leaders and related departments; the Yiyang Municipal Party Committee and City Government have added layers of responsibility and must also be held accountable, with the responsible leaders taken down, while the decision on the top leaders rests with you, Secretary. Additionally, as the leading department for rural revitalization, should the Provincial Department of Agriculture also bear corresponding responsibility?

Wang Jingchen nodded and said, "Then first set the tone: remove Yiyang City's Deputy Mayor in charge, Xixian County Party Committee Secretary, Yiyang City Agricultural Bureau Director, and the heads of the relevant departments in Xixian. Lingyun, follow this suggestion, immediately launch the investigation procedure, produce handling opinions as quickly as possible, and submit them to the Standing Committee for approval. Now let's discuss the handling opinions of the Yiyang Municipal Party Committee Secretary and the Provincial Department of Agriculture Director. Liu, what is your opinion?"

Liu Linghao thought for a moment and said earnestly, "The 'Four Winds' and corruption issues that occur around the masses are the concerns the masses care most about; they must be faced and taken seriously. When actions hurt the people's feelings, damage their interests, or ignore their affairs, the organization and discipline inspection and supervision organs should strictly enforce Party conduct and clean governance. Wherever the problem lies, supervision must extend there, resolutely safeguarding the people's interests. I obey the decisions of the Provincial Party Committee and the Standing Committee."

Lu Fan did not want to offend anyone and wanted to say 'I feel the same,' but that would be unrefined, so he resorted to official rhetoric, saying, "The Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission must dare to play the black face, act decisively, wield the 'Accountability Sword,' strictly follow Party discipline and state law, enforce strict regulations, and boldly brandish the sword against all misconduct. I recommend an iron‑faced discipline enforcement, implementing administrative penalties according to law and regulations."

Zhao Lingyun, besides sharing some 'talkativeness' with Lu Fan, usually gives the impression of a 'Judge Bao face,' and he said directly, "I firmly obey the Provincial Party Committee's decision and implement it."

Alright, after circling around, the issue was thrown back to Wang Jingchen; as the top leader, he sets the tone and makes decisions, and he does have that sense of responsibility. He thought briefly and said, "Lingyun, first conduct a serious investigation and verification of the relevant problem clues, ensure the factual exposition is accurate and clear, base the problem judgment on reality and logical reasoning, then we will study the qualitative handling."

Then Wang Jingchen said, "Lu Fan, the assessment has been going on for four days; based on the scoring, is there a preliminary result?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Linghao also looked at Lu Fan.

Lu Fan opened his notebook and reported, "Based on the scoring of 68 provincial assessment indicators and 15 deduction indicators, Nanyuan City, Ping Shan City, and Bianliang City rank in the top three; Yinyang City, Huai Zhou City, and Sanmen City rank in the bottom three. Among the provincial directly‑subordinate departments, the Organization Department, Discipline Inspection Committee, and Finance Department rank in the top three, while the Provincial Health and Wellness Committee, Education Department, and Emergency Management Department rank in the bottom three. However, this is only a preliminary scoring; assessments for a dozen other indicators are still underway."

Wang Jingchen said evenly, "The annual assessment is a comprehensive review of the work of all levels and departments, aimed at summarizing experience, identifying shortcomings, and continuously improving for future battles. It should be 'strict, detailed, practical, and truthful.' We must not extrapolate from a point to the whole, nor generalize from a part, avoid compromises or using achievements to offset faults, and be factual, objective, and fair."

We must not shy away from the heavy aspects of existing problems, nor skim the surface; we need to be present, see, and feel, truly understand the facts, grasp first‑hand material, ensure the inspection and assessment are solid, promote the province's work to a higher level, and I will keep track of the assessment progress at all times.

Lu Fan replied, "Understood, Secretary, I will report at any time."

After the meeting, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission Lin Changping led a team to Yiyang City, and the Director of Supervision Office Two went to the Provincial Department of Agriculture, launching a comprehensive investigation of the issues assigned by higher authorities. In an instant, both Yiyang City and the Agriculture Department were filled with anxiety and fear.

Yiyang Municipal Party Committee Secretary Dong Fuyuan and Agriculture Department Director Gao Chengyu were like ants on a hot pan, restless all day, and urgently sought assistance from the senior leader Tang Bing to try to get through the crisis.

Tang Bing, after understanding the situation, knew that the matter could be large or small, and the key lay in the Provincial Party Committee's attitude.

The two senior‑level officials—protect or not? —Tang Bing hesitated. Having risen to such a high position, she cherishes her feather greatly. If the two were involved in corruption, Tang Bing might unhesitatingly abandon them, but Yiyang City's 'formalism' falls within the ideological realm, offering considerable leeway for flexible handling.

After much deliberation, Tang Bing picked up the desk phone and dialed Lu Fan.

At that moment, Lu Fan was studying the assessment scores; in fact, the results had been released this morning and compiled. What he said earlier in the meeting was to leave himself some leeway.

Suddenly the phone rang; seeing the number was Tang Bing's desk phone, Lu Fan hurriedly answered, warmly saying, "Hello, senior leader!"

Tang Bing laughed, "It's been a while since you sat here; work has been busy, right?"

At that moment, Lu Fan roughly guessed Tang Bing's intention; he couldn't let the leader speak first, so he said, "Yiyang City has generated negative public opinion; the Discipline Inspection Committee's notice criticized it, putting the Provincial Party Committee in a huge passive position. Just now, Secretary Jingchen convened a five‑person group meeting to study the investigation and handling of the relevant personnel."

Tang Bing nodded satisfactorily and said, "I have also seen the notice; formalism harms people! To reduce the grassroots burden, we must treat the problem at its root, address each case, and work persistently. A minor illness left untreated becomes a serious disease; a serious disease left untreated becomes a chronic, stubborn affliction."

However, at its root, formalism always carries the shadow of bureaucracy. As the saying goes, when superiors are lenient, subordinates become even more so; we must therefore seek the root cause to punish past and future. Some people are keen on formalism merely as a performance of obedience to superiors. In recent years, inspections have multiplied, often resulting in 'one‑vote vetoes.' The superiors wield thousands of hammers, the grassroots have a single nail; the grassroots cadre is that nail, and anyone can hammer it a few times, forcing them into formalism. Thus, we need to improve the institutional framework to address both symptoms and the fundamental cause.

"How is your research going? Has the tone been set?"

Lu Fan replied, "Secretary Jingchen instructed that the relevant personnel be dealt with severely, and that cadres below the department level be investigated thoroughly without leniency. Regarding the handling opinions for the main leaders of Yiyang City and the Agriculture Department, there are still some differences; the specifics depend on the investigation results."

"Hmm, cultivating cadres is not easy; handling them requires precise and cautious judgment. Dealing with problem clues and conducting disciplinary reviews must be precise, steady, and in accordance with discipline and law, ensuring actions are justified by both, preventing abuse of power. I sincerely hope Huayuan continues to improve!" Tang Bing was very satisfied, and Lu Fan showed no reservation.

"Huayuan's development cannot do without the senior leader's concern; I will report progress to you at any time."