It is the will of the people that determines the destiny of a political party. Any party committed to protecting the people's interests will win the people's support and enjoy great vitality.
The Communist Party of China has been making efforts to safeguard the people's interests in the past 90 years.
Under the leadership of the Party, the Chinese people have made numerous great achievements. Mao Zedong announced, "The Chinese people have stood up!" in his declaration of the founding of the People's Republic of China. As home to one-fifth of the world's population, China used to be plagued by widespread poverty and economic depression but has already developed into the world's second largest economy thanks to the reform and opening-up policy and other wise development strategies. In the past 90 years, the Party has made efforts to improve the people's lives and to make right decisions according to the will of the people.
The Communist Party of China is the only political party in the world that is committed to protecting the people's interests both in theory and in practice. It is a selfless party dedicated to promoting national development, improving the people’s lives and protecting the fundamental interests of the people. The Party has been serving the people wholeheartedly and working hard for the well-being of the people in the past 90 years. Firm adherence to the principle of protecting the people's interests reflects the political quality of the Marxist party, and the people's support brought by this principle is the main political advantage of the Communist Party of China.
A Chinese saying goes, "When a ruler rejoices in the joy of his people, they will in turn rejoice in his joy, and when a ruler is troubled about the concerns of his people, they will also be troubled about his concerns." The Party's 90-year commitment to its tenets and practice has won itself the people's support. This was why KMT troops failed to know the specific location of the CPC headquarters after they occupied Yan’an; why more than 5 million farmers used 800,000 carts to help the Party win the Huaihai Campaign of the Chinese Civil War; why farmers could manually build the Hongqiqu canal and pioneer the household responsibility system; why the people could show civil consciousness during the disaster relief after the Wenchuan earthquake. The people are the essence of dynamics and source of wisdom during China's revolution, construction and reform. Always striving to serve the interests of the people has enabled the Party to overcome various types of risks and challenges and continue to develop in the middle of the people and has made the Party remain robust and dynamic after 90 years of struggle.
As today's China has entered into a period of social transition and a critical period of reform, the Party is facing a more complicated situation. "Whom should the Party serve?" remains the fundamental issue facing the Party when it comes to issues such as accelerating economic transition and achieving scientific development as well as seizing the strategic opportunity to fulfill the goals set in the 12th Five-Year Plan.
The Party can secure the people's support, maintain the right development direction and remain invincible only if it puts the people first, adheres to the principle of putting the interests of the people above all and focuses on solving the most practical problems of the utmost and immediate concern to the people.
The Party's 90-year history shows a fundamental truth: the people are the Party's root and source of strength. If the Party at a new historical starting point can always adhere to the basic principle of serving the people whole-heartedly and uphold the basic concept of putting the people first and exercising the state power for the interests of the people, it will surely overcome all difficulties in the road ahead and live up to the expectations of history and the people.
By the commentator for People’s Daily, translated by People's Daily Online
