[IP] So much for the working class
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Kobrin, Steve" <KobrinS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: June 22, 2004 9:23:54 AM EDT
To: "'dave@xxxxxxxxxx'" <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: So much for the working class
The FT reports that the Chinese Communist party wants to extend its
reach to small and medium-sized companies. However, it is clear that
workers no longer represent the vanguard:
Mr Zhang said the party's priority was to sign up managers rather than
ordinary workers.
"Can you imagine our party could flourish in a company where four of
the only five party members are cleaners?" he said.
Not exactly a Marxist-Leninist approach.
ASIA-PACIFIC: China's ruling party to lift role in business
By Richard McGregor in Shanghai
Financial Times; Jun 22, 2004
China's ruling Communist party is pushing to extend its reach into the
fast-growing entrepreneurial sector, aiming to establish a presence in
medium-sized local private companies within five years.
Zhang Dahong, a party official in Shanghai, said the department in
charge of personnel in Beijing had set a target for companies with 50
or more employees to have a party member, and those with 100 or more
workers a party committee.
He said Shanghai had set itself the goal of meeting this target within
three years, 24 months ahead of schedule.
"The presence of the party in [the] private sector is so weak at
present [in Shanghai] that only 3,000, or 1.1 per cent, of the 280,000
private companies have set up party committees," he said.
State-owned enterprises, which long dominated the Chinese economy, have
always had party committees that do everything from handling personnel
issues to mobilising political campaigns. But the party organisation
has mostly been a spectator during the rapid growth of the private
sector in the past five years, leaving it sidelined by the most dynamic
new force in China.
By tapping into private companies, the party gets valuable income from
fees, and access to retirement jobs for elderly officials, and extends
its political tentacles.
"In time of breaking events, such as Sars (the severe acute respiratory
virus) and [the campaign against the banned religious group] Falun
Gong, we can help to contain the crisis, given our presence penetrates
into every unit of society," said Mr Zhang.
It is not clear, however, what impact if any the party's presence would
have on day-to-day decision-making in Chinese private companies, and
there are no set rules for how its officials should operate.
Mr Zhang said the party's priority was to sign up managers rather than
ordinary workers.
"Can you imagine our party could flourish in a company where four of
the only five party members are cleaners?" he said.
Gu Zengguang, a former Shanghai official recruited to organise the
party in the Junyao group, which has interests in dairy, aviation and
real estate, said 80 per cent of its 120 members were managers.
"As long as someone is talented enough, we invite them to join, but
it's true our preference now is mid-level managers," he said.
In Shanghai, where the private sector is relatively weak, the party may
find it relatively easy to penetrate private companies.
Rival party offices in Shanghai are already competing to sign up
private companies.
But the job is likely to be much harder in the south, especially in
places such as Shenzhen, where private companies have traditionally
resisted the establishment of party committees.
The party has nearly 70m members in China.
(c)Copyright The Financial Times Ltd
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