How can the democratic management system for rural "three assets" be improved?

The management of rural collective funds, assets and resources (referred to as the “three assets”) is a hot and focal issue of widespread concern among the broad ranks of rural cadres and farmers. According to surveys, some villages still have problems such as inadequate systems, non-standardized operations, relatively chaotic fund management, and inadequate democratic supervision, which even trigger conflicts between cadres and the masses and affect rural economic development and social harmony and stability.

The management of the rural “three assets” is a project that wins people's hearts and concerns farmers' interests and democratic development. The following democratic measures must be strengthened in particular:

First, improve the systems. In accordance with local realities, it is necessary to establish, improve and perfect all systems for the management of the rural “three assets,” so that there are rules to follow and systems are used to standardize behavior. In the decision-making procedures for all “three assets” matters, farmers' wishes must be genuinely respected, and the phenomenon of one individual or a small minority making all the decisions must be eliminated. In practice, full consideration must be given to the realities of rural areas and farmers, turning complex work into concrete tasks and concrete work into standardized procedures, and strictly following the rules. This both resolves prominent problems and conflicts and makes them acceptable to farmers.

Second, strengthen supervision. Training must be organized for village rural accounting personnel and members of the democratic financial management groups, and a system requiring democratic financial management personnel to hold certificates before taking up their posts must be implemented. Members of the democratic financial management groups must be elected through democratic recommendation, once every year. Democratic management must be deepened, so that major projects, major decisions, major matters and the use of large sums of funds must be approved by a vote of the village representatives' assembly or all villagers before they can be implemented. Audit supervision must be intensified, implementing the “three-year audit cycle project,” carrying out audits of village cadres' economic responsibility during and upon leaving office, conducting special audits of rural finances, focusing audits on the “three assets” issues that farmers strongly reflect on, and promptly disclosing audit results.

Third, strengthen assessment. The preservation and appreciation of rural collective assets must be made an important part of the annual work assessment of village cadres. The management of the rural “three assets” must be linked to village cadres' performance records, and an accountability system must be established, thereby urging village cadres to handle collective assets scientifically, preventing the loss of collective assets, and ensuring that the returns on collective assets are maximized.