Chapter 138: Attending the Luncheon

When exercising effective supervision and law enforcement, the Party's discipline inspection committees at all levels have four types of handling measures.

According to the working regulations of the discipline inspection committee, the first tier of supervision and enforcement involves talking with and reminding party members and cadres, conducting criticism and education, ordering them to submit self-examinations, or issuing admonitions. This is the mildest form of handling.

The second tier of handling is more serious, targeting party members and cadres at all levels who have committed general law-breaking offenses, or whose disciplinary violations are severe but who willingly and proactively confess their misdeeds.

In such cases, penalties can be mitigated, and the second tier of supervision and enforcement is applied—namely, giving a warning or a serious warning, recommending a standalone disciplinary measure, combined with suspension from duty for self-inspection, reassignment of post, ordering resignation, or removal from office.

The removal from office proposed by Xin Yao at this moment fell precisely into this second tier of handling.

However, there are two even more severe tiers of handling.

The third tier of handling involves stripping individuals of their posts within the Party, placing them on probation within the Party, or expelling them from the Party. At the same time, it is recommended to demote them, or according to law, remove them from office, expel them from public service, and adjust the benefits they are entitled to receive.

The final tier of handling is the most severe. When party members and cadres commit serious disciplinary violations and are suspected of crimes, they must be expelled from the Party in accordance with regulations, simultaneously expelled from public service according to the law, and have their entitled benefits adjusted or revoked, ultimately being handed over to judicial authorities to be held criminally accountable under the law.

Xin Yao's proposal that the cadres with the most severe infractions be dealt with through removal from office rather than expulsion from the Party or public service was still an act of protection.

In other words, representing the County Discipline Inspection Committee, Xin Yao also represented the stance of the Kaiyang County Party Committee and County Government. Their bottom line was removal from office.

Kaiyang County did not want to blow the issue out of proportion or escalate it to a critical level that would negatively impact local economic development and the normal operation of the administrative system.

Upon hearing Xin Yao's opinion, Yang Dong nodded and spoke, "Very well. Following Comrade Xin Yao's suggestion, let us view the problem dialectically, treating specific issues with specific analyses."

"If these cadres have not escalated to severe job-related crimes, removal from office is acceptable."

Yang Dong left half of his words unsaid, keeping the latter half to himself, but Xin Yao could easily comprehend the underlying meaning.

If these cadres were implicated in severe job-related crimes, it would no longer be up to the Kaiyang County Discipline Inspection Committee to decide; dual expulsion or even referral to judicial organs might become inevitable.

Yang Dong had given Xin Yao plenty of face, agreeing to a partial compromise, yet he had not fully backed down.

Xin Yao felt a headache coming on. Had the Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee pinpointed this exact trait of Yang Dong's when they dispatched him to Kaiyang County?

After all, Kaiyang County was unlike other counties and districts. It was a major county, with an economy accounting for more than thirty percent of the entire city's share, and the Secretary of the Kaiyang County Party Committee was concurrently a vice-department-level member of the Municipal Party Standing Committee.

It could be said that it was difficult for the Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee to carry out its work smoothly in Kaiyang County, because the independence of Kaiyang County's own discipline inspection committee meant they could completely afford to disregard the Municipal Committee's authority.

Now that Yang Dong had been sent over, it was their county discipline inspection committee that was left with a pounding headache.

"Fine, let Yang Dong's opinion take precedence then."

Xin Yao nodded, unwilling to prolong the discussion any further as it had become meaningless.

Yang Dong was just like a stubborn stone in a latrine—stinking and hard.

After saying so much to him and dropping so many hints, Yang Dong still had not completely stepped back, yielding only a tiny fraction.

Frankly speaking, this tiny fraction held no practical significance for Kaiyang County.

In truth, he was reluctant to act this way either. As the secretary of the county discipline inspection committee, he was well aware of the core priorities of discipline work: zero tolerance for corrupt cadres.

Yet recently, under the leadership of Secretary Tan Long, Kaiyang County was going all out to attract investment and boost commerce.

Secretary Tan Long had already laid down the mandate at the early-year standing committee meeting.

For the full year of 2008, the county's GDP had to reach at least 14.5 billion yuan, per capita GDP needed to exceed 30,000 yuan, and fiscal revenue had to hit a minimum of 1 billion yuan.

Particularly regarding fixed asset investment—meaning business recruitment and capital attraction—the figure had to surpass 5 billion yuan.

Once Secretary Tan Long issued this call, the entire county had to exert its utmost effort.

To ensure the people lived prosperous lives, economic development had to be grasped firmly, and anything hindering economic development and construction had to make way.

If Yang Dong were allowed to stage a political bloodbath in Kaiyang County, then there would be no need to bother securing investments for the year.

Not only would all cadres and staff across the county go hungry, but ordinary residents would also fail to find suitable employment. With fewer job opportunities and vacant positions, the populace would inevitably start cursing the government.

The cadres of Kaiyang County were meant to serve the people of the entire county.

The county party committee had issued a strict order, and the county government was working itself to the bone.

At a time like this, the county discipline inspection committee could not afford to stir up chaos. Even if corrupt cadres were uncovered, they had to be handled in a low-profile manner to minimize any adverse impact on investment attraction.

Businessmen are naturally inclined to pursue profit and avoid harm, and their sensitivity is acute.

If they learned that the local corruption problem was severe, with cadres embroiled in scandals and investment policies shifting unpredictably from moment to moment, it would spell disaster for potential investors.

Consequently, no one would dare come here to invest.

This explained why Kaiyang County desperately wanted Yang Dong to handle the nineteen implicated cadres with a low profile.

If other impoverished counties had implicated cadres, they could fully cooperate with the Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee without a second thought.

Since they were destitute and poor, they naturally had nothing to lose.

However, Kaiyang County was different, and it could not afford to operate that way.

Yet, Xin Yao found himself unable to communicate effectively with Yang Dong anymore. He had made his utmost effort, and whatever remained would simply have to be handled by the county party committee and government.

Besides, wasn't Yang Dong a native of Kaiyang County?

Since he was one of their own, why was he being so unyielding and unreasonable?

Wouldn't it be wonderful for his hometown's economy to thrive?

Why did he have to be so aggressive, turning a simple matter into a complicated and magnified crisis?

How could Yang Dong not know the reality of Kaiyang County's need to develop its economy?

How could he possibly remain oblivious to the crucial importance of Tan Long to Kaiyang County?

In his previous life, Tan Long's tenure in Kaiyang County had nearly propelled the region into the ranks of the top one hundred strongest counties nationwide.

Under Tan Long's leadership, Kaiyang County successfully eradicated poverty by 2012, with per capita income breaking the 60,000-yuan mark.

Back then, not a single person in the county worried about finding a job, and there was no need to travel elsewhere for migrant labor—all of which was entirely attributable to Secretary Tan Long.

Yet... as the anti-corruption and integrity-advocacy campaign unfolded, the economy of Kaiyang County collapsed...

Economic issues emerged endlessly, with one enterprise after another exploding in financial scandals, major problems uncovered in project after project, and batch after batch of cadres dragged away for investigation.

On top of that, the natural environment was ravaged, mineral resources were over-exploited, and land desertification became severe. These were the lingering maladies of Kaiyang County over the subsequent decade.

It was merely a county in the Northeast, yet the total sum of corruption among its officials reached an astonishing 3.8 billion yuan. Terrifying, wasn't it?

"Corruption County" became synonymous with Kaiyang County.

For a full decade afterward, Kaiyang County never recovered.

It plummeted from a per capita income exceeding 60,000 yuan down to less than 30,000 yuan.

Kaiyang County, which had nearly squeezed into the top one hundred counties of the country, ultimately plunged into the status of a nationally impoverished county.

Impoverished by corruption!

These were historical lessons written in blood, which could not help but pierce Yang Dong's heart with sorrow.

As a son of Kaiyang County, worrying about his homeland was entirely reasonable and justified.

So, when such problems arose, whose fault was it?

The people wanting to fill their stomachs—that was not wrong.

The cadres pursuing economic development and political achievements—that was not wrong either.

One could only say that economic development inevitably experienced growing pains involving corruption.

Therefore, the presence of corruption should not cause them to choke out of fear and abandon food altogether.

Yet, neither could they allow malignant ulcers to grow unchecked.

Knock, knock...

Just as the atmosphere in the office grew heavy and stagnant, a knock sounded at the door.

Shortly after, a young cadre in his thirties walked inside.

"Leader, Secretary Zhao sent someone to ask: when will the comrades from the Municipal Discipline Inspection Committee head over to the banquet?"

"The luncheon prepared by Secretary Zhao's side is already set."

Seeing that it was his own liaison officer, Xin Yao's face regained a trace of a smile as he turned to Yang Dong and his companions and said, "Go on, esteemed commissioners. No matter how important work is, one still has to eat."

"I won't be joining you; I still have tasks to attend to."

"However, since Secretary Zhao of our county party committee is personally hosting the banquet, you must make sure to eat and drink well."