Officials bear lifelong responsibility for guarding the ecological red line
Only officials who conscientiously fulfill their duties of ecological and resource protection and create a sound production and living environment can leave behind a lifelong record of achievement.
Recently, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Measures for Holding Party and Government Leading Officials Accountable for Ecological and Environmental Damage (for Trial Implementation)", which clearly designates party and government officials, including members of local party committee leadership, as targets of accountability. This decision has been called by people a "sharp institutional sword" and an "institutional barrier" that urges leading officials to correctly perform their duties and exercise their powers in the field of ecology and environment.
For a long time, because environmental protection work involves various issues such as planning, penalties, publicity and energy, environmental protection departments have often found themselves in the awkward position of "having responsibility but no power" and "having a mouth but no teeth" when facing environmental pollution and ecological damage. The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China included "ecological civilization construction" in the "five-sphere integrated plan" for the first time, which is precisely to treat environmental protection as a holistic undertaking. Without the genuine attention of party and government leaders at all levels, especially the genuine assumption of responsibility by the "top leaders", it is very difficult to make effective progress.
The target of this reform is for party committees and governments to jointly assume responsibility for ecological civilization construction, implement the principle of consistency between powers and responsibilities, and achieve full coverage of accountability targets. When responsibilities are clear, resolution will be smooth. The "Measures" clearly stipulate the implementation of "joint accountability of party and government" for ecological and environmental damage, and set out in detail 25 circumstances for accountability. They require both "accountability for consequences" and "accountability for conduct", and emphasize both "joint accountability of party and government" and "lifelong accountability", which will inevitably have a profound impact on the environmental decision-making behavior of party committee leaders at all levels.
People often say that the toughest problems become easy once the top leader steps in. After the provision of "joint accountability of party and government" was introduced, party committees can no longer "hide" behind government departments, but must step to the front and stand the test on environmental protection issues. In fact, the reason why the clear waters and green mountains in many places have given way to mountains of gold and silver is that some leading officials in charge looked only at "economic interests" and ignored "ecological interests". Under the system of "party committee decision-making, government implementation", if decision-makers are not held accountable, there is a lack of pressure for party committee leaders to establish the concept of ecological civilization.
Formulating environmental protection accountability measures specifically for "party and government leading officials", and grasping the crux of the "key minority", can be called a crucial "top-level design" that provides a solid institutional guarantee for ecological civilization construction. Only when a decision may lead to lifelong accountability can one be more responsible when making decisions. At the same time, only when party committees make "responsible" environmental decisions can government functional departments better follow up and implement them "responsibly", thereby forming a virtuous cycle conducive to environmental protection.
Of course, for top-level design to truly take effect, all parties still need to work together. The circumstances for accountability are now relatively specific, but resistance may still be faced when initiating accountability procedures. As the source of discovering problems, environmental protection and judicial departments, although they have greater power and responsibility, will also face the real pressure of "subordinates reporting superiors". If this invisible pressure is not withstood and there is no "referral", then "accountability" cannot even be discussed.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has said on several occasions that an arrow once shot cannot be recalled. This is true for improving work style and promoting reform, and it is also true for holding fast to the "ecological and environmental red line". The implementation of the "Measures" is not only to determine responsibility, but also reflects the firm determination of the central authorities and helps sharpen the eyes of the masses. Environmental protection is a public issue that the whole people pay attention to and are situated within, so it is also most easily brought to the surface by public opinion; those who destroy clear waters and green mountains will be investigated "no matter how far away they are".
The central authorities raising the great banner of "ecological accountability" will certainly give greater support and impetus to the cause of environmental protection. Party and government leaders at all levels should think thrice before acting when making ecological decisions. Holding fast to the "ecological red line" is the lifelong responsibility of leading officials. Conversely, only officials who conscientiously fulfill their duties of ecological and resource protection and create a sound production and living environment can leave behind a lifelong record of achievement.