Puqiong Listens to the Voices of the People and Earnestly Delivers for Them

Listening to the People's Voices, Delivering for the People

--A Profile of Puqiong, Former Party Branch Secretary of Naiqiong Village, Naiqiong Town, Doilungdeqen District, Lhasa

Xinhua News Agency, Lhasa, December 13 (Reporter Wang Qin'ou) Puqiong is a native of Doilungdeqen District, Lhasa. This veteran Party member with 31 years of Party membership has devoted almost all of his working life to his hometown. From township public security special commissioner, to the county Party committee confidential office, and then to the county office for coordinating housing for farmers and herdsmen. In the end, he left the office behind and went to a village steeped in the smell of cow dung to serve as Party branch secretary, staying there for 12 years until retirement. Puqiong feels that being able to be with the people, listen to them, and deliver for them brings him great happiness.

????Listening to the People's Voices, Taking the Initiative to Resolve Problems at the Grassroots

In 2014, Puqiong was reassigned to serve as Party branch secretary of Naiqiong Village in Doilungdeqen District (then Doilungdeqen County). Arriving in this well-known "petitioning village," Puqiong hardly ever sat in his office for a full day. He went into the homes of petitioners, sat down to listen to villagers air their grievances and pour out their troubles.

"People don't petition for no reason." Puqiong firmly believes, "When the people speak, someone needs to listen." During his visits, he once talked late into the night at a villager's home, and once opened the village committee's door an hour before work to listen one by one to the demands of more than 40 villagers, buying them sweet tea and pouring water with his own money.

Over several months, Puqiong collected 48 issues on which the people's opinions were concentrated. Apart from one that was reported to higher authorities, all the other issues were resolved at the village Party branch and village committee.

"When a village is 'sick,' it must be treated promptly. If grassroots officials are inactive, delay things, and 'wait, depend, and demand,' it will turn into a serious illness." Puqiong said with deep feeling.

During his ten years as Party branch secretary of Donggar Village in Doilungdeqen District, Puqiong led more than 30 Party members to raise over 1 million yuan and establish the Donggar Village Farmers and Herdsmen Transport Cooperative, building village collective ventures such as a leisure resort and teahouse, generating annual revenue of 7 million yuan. In 2014, the year Puqiong left Donggar Village, the village's per capita income reached 14,000 yuan, an 11-fold increase over 2006.

Seeking Well-being for the People, Speaking Frankly and Disciplining Himself, Willing to Set Aside Personal Gain

Puqiong, who is extremely patient and caring toward the people, often poses "difficult problems" for his superiors and colleagues.

"I once argued with a prefecture-level official in his office for an entire afternoon, just to secure more compensation for villagers whose land had been requisitioned." Puqiong recalled with a smile. That time, Puqiong not only argued with the official face to face, but after returning to the village he argued with him on the phone for nearly an hour. Over several months, Puqiong finally "argued" 20 million yuan in compensation for the village, yet he himself received not a single cent in subsidies.

Puqiong jokes that he is someone who "argues with superiors every time there's a meeting." A senior official once commented on Puqiong: "For the people's affairs, he will do anything."

Puqiong, who is not afraid of offending people, sets strict anti-corruption rules for village officials wherever he goes. Tsering Norbu, deputy Party branch secretary of Naiqiong Village, said: "Previously, village two-committee officials' meals and tea were all charged to the village accounts. After Secretary Puqiong took office, officials had to pay out of their own pockets for gatherings. Even for a collective activity meal in the village, it had to be deducted from the monthly meal fee each person pays."

Taking Root at the Grassroots Without Regret, Fulfilling Responsibilities and Showing the True Character of a Party Member

Now, Puqiong has retired from his post. Looking back on his more than 30 years of work experience, he said: "I have never regretted working at the grassroots. The fields are where you can truly do things for the people."

When asked about his greatest takeaway from being a grassroots Party member official, Puqiong thought for a moment and said two words--"responsibility."

"The people electing you as an official doesn't mean you have prestige, nor is it so you can use your position to seek personal gain." Puqiong said, "The people's vote is a responsibility. Having the courage to take responsibility and speak for the people--that is how officials can earn trust when they do things."

Though retired, Puqiong still cares about the well-being of the village's disadvantaged people. To this day, Puqiong still frequently visits 57-year-old Pasang Oizhu, a low-income household member in Naiqiong Village, buying rice, flour, oil and grain for him with his own money.

During this year's Wangguo Festival, a villager from Naiqiong Village who had successfully received land requisition compensation and resolved his housing problem specifically sought out the retired Puqiong, gripping his hand tightly and saying: "The secretary keeps us in his heart, and he keeps the promises he makes." For Puqiong, this is the greatest reward for his more than a decade of grassroots work.

Puqiong's son took the Tibet civil service exam this year, following in his father's footsteps by applying for a township civil service position in Shigatse City. "Going to the grassroots to temper yourself--this is good for young people." Puqiong said, looking at his son.