Chinese President Hu Jintao delivers a speech at the grand rally marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing Sept.15,2004.

A grand rally to mark the 50th founding anniversary of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, was held Wednesday morning in Beijing.

General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese President Hu Jintao deliveredan important speech at the rally presided by Wu Bangguo, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee.

Copying western political systems "a blind alley for China"

President Hu said that history proves following blindly western political systems would lead China to a dead end, and China's current people's congress system has strong vitality and great superiority.

Hu recalled the failures of China's bourgeois republic system established by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and various forms of political systems introduced into old China.

The president described the people's congress system as a great invention of integrating the basic principles of Marxism with the actual conditions of China, a natural choice of China's social development since modern times, and an important achievement in the long-term struggle of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The people's congress system also represents "the common interests and aspirations" of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups," said Hu, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

Many Chinese with great ideas had struggled to probe way to save the country when China gradually fell into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society plagued by growing national crises after 1840 as a result of the invasion of western powers and the corruption of the feudal ruling class.

The bourgeois democratic revolution led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen in 1911, which overthrew the Qing Dynasty, put an end to the thousand years-old autocratic monarchy, initiated the modern national democratic revolution in its real sense and opened the gate for China's progress, said the president.

The Revolution of 1911, however, failed to change the nature of old China and the destiny of the Chinese people since the bourgeois republic system established after the revolution could not ensure the rights of the general public and was eventually defeated under the attack of reactionary forces, said Hu.

He said all the political systems introduced into old China since then also failed to change their nature as representative of the interests of imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat-capitalism, and the Chinese people remained in the miserable position as the oppressed, the enslaved and the exploited.

History indicates that indiscriminately copying western political systems is a blind alley for China, Hu stressed.

After long-term struggles, the Chinese people came to realize that to achieve national independence, people's liberation, national prosperity and a happy life for the people, it is a must to completely overthrow the political system of the exploiting class and establish a brand new people's democratic political system under which the people act as the master of the country.

"The Communist Party of China logically came into the position to shoulder the historic mission of leading the Chinese people for the great change," said Hu.

The people's congress system, established under the Party, lays a political foundation for China's socialist system and greatly mobilizes the enthusiasm of the people of all nationalities in building and administering the country, Hu said.

Reviewing the half-century history of the people's congress system and looking into the bright prospect of the country's socialist democratic politics, he said China must stick to and improve the system, continue the process of administering the country under rule of law and mobilize the people to fully engage in the great cause of building a relatively affluent society in an all-round way.

Participants from all walks of life applaud while attending a grand rally held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to mark the 50th founding anniversary of the National People's Congress, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2004. (Xinhua)

Socialist legal system basically takes shape

Hu Jintao said Wednesday that a socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics centered on the Constitution has basically taken shape in China, which greatly promoted and safeguarded the country's reform, opening up and modernization drive.

China has formulated its existing Constitution and made four constitutional amendments since it started reforms and opening to the outside world in late 1978, the president said.

Hu, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), described the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in 1978 as the turning point for the country since New China was founded in 1949.

It was after that meeting that China entered a new historic period of development and the people's congress system also got on a new track of development.

The Party called at the meeting to improve the socialist legal system and institutionalize and legalize democracy so as to ensure the stability, continuity and authority of the legal system and laws.

Since then great importance has been attached to the building of socialist democratic politics and to improve the building of the people's congress system and the work of people's congresses.

"We have expanded general election of deputies to people's congresses to the county level with the introduction of multi-candidate election system," said Hu.

While improving the powers of the NPC Standing Committee, it is stipulated that the NPC and its standing committee jointly exercise the state legislative power and supervise the implementation of the Constitution.

Since 1978, the NPC and its standing committee have made more than 200 sets of laws, the State Council, or the cabinet, has formulated more than 650 administrative regulations, local people's congresses and their standing committees promulgated over 7,500 regional laws and regulations, and legislatures in areas with ethnic autonomy enacted over 600 regulations on the autonomy and special regulations, the president said.

All the laws and regulations are effective currently, he added.

Relations between Party, people's congress

The Chinese President called on for scientifically regulating the relationship between Party committees and people's congresses, and to support people's congresses to function according to law.

The work must be done in line with the principle that the Communist Party of China (CPC) takes a dominant role and coordinates all sectors, said Hu.

As a ruling Party, the CPC must lead, support and ensure the people to act as the master of the country, and maintain and realize their fundamental interests, said Hu, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

The people's congress system is a major way and the highest form manifesting the people's status as the master of the country, and the progressiveness and vitality of the system is deeply rooted in the people.

The power of government organs and officials comes from the people, so it must be used to serve the people and be put under their supervision, he said. Promoting rule of law will not only safeguard the people's status as the master of the country but also ensure the ruling position of the Party.

"To adhere to the Party's leadership, we must improve the leadership and conscientiously improve the Party's level of leadership and ruling capacity."

The leading position of the Party is resulted from long-term practice and is clearly stipulated by the Constitution. People's congresses at all levels and their standing committees must consciously put themselves under the Party's leadership, while the Party should realize its leadership mainly by drafting guiding policies, forwarding law-making proposals and recommending candidates of major government posts.

He stressed that the Party must act within the scope of the Constitution and law, and know how to use state powers to handle state affairs.

The Party's important propositions on state affairs, which are within the powers of the NPC and need to be implemented by the whole people, should be submitted to the NPC to go through legal procedures so as to become the will of the state, Hu said.

Leading government officials should be elected and appointed by people's congresses according to legal procedures and be supervised by people's congresses and their standing committees.

The role of Party organizations and Party members in government departments should be brought into full play in carrying out the Party's theories, lines, guiding principles and policies so as to realize the Party's leadership over state affairs.

This will be favorable to integrating the Party's propositions with the people's will, integrating the Party's policy decisions with the efforts for implementation, and helping government organs and leading officials to be accountable to both the Party and the people, so as to ensure that "the Party always stand in the frontline of the times to lead the people forward," he said.

People's congress system shows strong vitality, great advantages

Chinese President Hu Jintao said that China's people's congress system shows strong vitality and great advantages.

Hu said, "The people's congress system guarantees people's right as the master of the country."

According to the people's congress system, deputies elected by the people are responsible for the people and supervised by the people, which ensures the people to enjoy the broad democracy, freedom and rights stipulated by the Constitution and laws.

The people's congress system mobilizes the people to contribute to the socialist construction as the master of the country. It can bring into full play of the initiative and creativity of the Chinese people, and unite the people in progressing towards the country's development goals, said Hu.

The people's congress system also safeguards the harmonious and effective operation of the state organs, Hu noted.

As the organ of state power, the people's congress exercises the power in the principle of the democratic centralism, Hu said.

Produced by the people's congress, the administrative, judicial and procuratorial organs of the country all are responsible for the people's congress and under the supervision of it, Hu said, noting that the system also safeguards the unity of the country and solidarity of various ethnic groups.

"The 50-year practice has fully proved that the people's congress system, as the fundamental political system, fits China's special conditions by embodying China's socialist characteristics and representing Chinese people's right as the master of the country," said Hu.

Improvement in law-making work

Hu Jintao called for strengthening and improving the law-making work of the NPC, while giving full play to the role of NPC and its Standing Committee.

Hu urged the NPC and its Standing Committee to earnestly exercise the functions and powers endowed by the Constitution in a drive of building a relatively well-off society in an all-round way.

To this end, the legislative work of the NPC and its Standing Committee should be further improved, he said, stressing the quality of legislation.

"To meet the requirement for economic and social development, especially for establishing and improving the socialist market economic system, greater attention should be paid to economic laws in future legislation," he said.

Meanwhile, efforts must be made to accelerate the making of laws on socialist democratic politics to guarantee citizen's rights, safeguard social stability and promote overall social progress, said Hu, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

In enacting and amending laws, Hu stressed adhering to the Constitution, putting the people first and following scientific approaches.

He underscored the enhancement of the NPC's supervisory role, saying, "Exercising power without restriction or supervision is bound to result in power abusing and corruption."

As the organ of state power, people's congresses and their standing committees exercise legal supervision on behalf of the state and the people in order to ensure the Constitution and laws are implemented correctly.

Currently, some local governments and government departments fail to strictly abide by or implement laws. Local protectionism, power abuse and corruption have greatly impaired the image of the Party and the state, and harmed the interests of the state and the people, he said.

Hu urged people's congresses and their standing committees at all levels to focus their supervision on major issues concerning the fundamental interests of the people.

All administrative organs, judicial organs and procuratorial organs must do their duties faithfully and put themselves under the supervision of people's congresses and their standing committees, he said.

Better role of people's congresses

President Hu called for closer ties between people's congresses at all levels and the people so as to play a better role of the people's congress system.

Hu urged the 2.8 million people's congress deputies across the country to listen to the appeal of the people, learn about their lives, reflect their will and pool their wisdom.

Efforts are also needed to strengthen the organization system and work system of people's congresses and their standing committees at all levels, he said.

Hu described the people's congress system as the prominent feature of China's socialist democratic politics.

"We should value the experience in the development of the people's congress system over the last 50 years, stick to the path of political development with Chinese characteristics and firmly push forward the socialist democratic politics by adhering to China's national conditions and new realities," he said.

Hu stressed that a government will become a diligent one when the people are encouraged to supervise over it, and a government will perish unless everyone takes the responsibility.

He promised the rally to actively and steadily boost political reform, expand socialist democracy, improve the socialist legal system and build a country under rule of law for the consolidation and development of a democratic, united, lively, stable and harmonic situation.

The political system that a country adopts must accord with the national conditions and characteristics, he said, noting the socialist democratic politics best suits China's conditions.

"We must be active in learning from all human civilizations, including the positive results of political civilization. But we will never blindly copy the mode of other countries' political system," the president said.

Along with China's economic and social progress, its socialist democratic politics will perfect gradually and its superiority and strong vitality will be fully demonstrated, he said.

By People's Daily Online