Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 304 Taking the Nanny Route

On the third day after the newly formed investigation team went to Qingshan County to conduct a new investigation, Sun Fangrun, deputy secretary of the provincial party committee, came to Longcheng City for research.

The research topic is high-quality development of county-level economy and prevention and control of social risks.

Lin Xue and Wen Changcheng accompanied them throughout the entire process.

Sun Fangrun was promoted from member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission to Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee last year.

Luo Shutian, the former deputy secretary of the provincial party committee, was transferred to another province to serve as the chairman of the provincial political consultative conference.

Sun Fangrun first went to Qingyan County, and then went to Qingshan County.

Meeting room of the Qingshan County Party Committee.

Geng Dongqing, on behalf of the Qingshan County Party Committee and County Government, delivered a work report, focusing on Qingshan County's economic development achievements, highlights of industrial transformation, and accomplishments in social governance and risk assessment in recent years.

Of course, the Wanshan Bridge accident cannot be ignored. Geng Dongqing said in a heavy tone that this was a profound lesson. The county party committee and county government are learning from this painful experience and are fully cooperating with the higher authorities in the investigation. They are also drawing lessons from this incident and carrying out a comprehensive safety inspection and rectification campaign throughout the county.

Sun Fangrun listened attentively and took notes from time to time.

After Geng Dongqing finished his report, he delivered a speech.

The work of the Qingshan County leadership was first affirmed, with the achievements being considered "truly remarkable" given the relatively weak foundation. The county party committee and government's response and reflection after the accident were also commendable.

He also cited proverbs such as "It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost" and "Adversity strengthens a nation" to emphasize the need to learn lessons from the accident, turn crisis into opportunity, further improve governance capabilities and standards, and effectively safeguard the lives and property of the people and the overall social stability.

Shortly after the meeting ended, before going to see a project, Sun Fangrun's secretary quietly said to Lin Xue and Wen Changcheng, "Secretary Sun would like to invite the two leaders to the lounge for a brief chat."

Only Sun Fangrun, Lin Xue, and Wen Changcheng were in the small lounge.

The secretary poured the tea and then left, gently closing the door behind her.

Without exchanging pleasantries, Sun Fangrun went straight to the point: "Comrade Lin Xue, Comrade Changcheng, I generally approve of the work done in Qingshan County."

However, the Wanshan Bridge incident has had a negative impact. People died, the bridge collapsed, and the public and media are watching closely.

But what's done is done; there's no escaping it or covering it up.

The city's investigation team has been dispatched, and they must conduct a thorough investigation to clarify the causes and assign responsibility.

This is being responsible to history, to the people, and to ourselves.

No one can escape the responsibilities they must bear.

Lin Xue nodded: "Yes, Secretary Sun, we will definitely urge the investigation team to thoroughly investigate the matter in accordance with the law and regulations and based on the facts."

"Yes," Sun Fangrun nodded slightly, then changed the subject, "However, the purpose of investigating is to solve problems, learn lessons, and improve our work, not to investigate for the sake of investigating, much less to escalate the situation, create panic, and affect the overall development and stability of a region."

Sun Fangrun took a sip of tea and continued, "Our consistent policy has always been to learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones and to cure the disease to save the patient. We must adhere to this principle when dealing with this type of accident."

In investigation and handling, we must grasp the main contradictions and hold those responsible accountable.

Process it at the appropriate level.

We cannot escalate the issue to an extreme, nor can we allow one person's illness to cause the entire family to need medication.

It is especially important to note that the investigation and handling of one case should not negate the overall work of a region, dampen the enthusiasm of cadres for their work and entrepreneurship, or even affect the image and investment environment of a region.

Otherwise, it would run counter to our original development goals.

He put down his teacup and looked at Lin Xue and Wen Changcheng: "Stability is paramount. Currently, the tasks of reform and development, and maintaining social harmony and stability are very heavy."

The ultimate goal of investigating and handling the accident is to give the public and society an explanation.

This explanation must not only reflect the seriousness of Party discipline and national laws, but also demonstrate a sense of responsibility to seek truth from facts and consider the overall situation.

We must strive to achieve a balance between political, disciplinary, and social effects.

As the principal leaders of the municipal party committee and government, you must grasp this balance well, and you must also guide the investigation team to grasp it well as well.

Sun Fangrun spoke with great artistry and sophistication, leaving no room for error. He never uttered a single word that violated discipline, yet every sentence seemed to hint at something.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense can understand the implied meaning.

Lin Xue and Wen Changcheng both understood.

The cause of the bridge collapse must be thoroughly investigated to provide an explanation to the public, but it cannot be blown out of proportion indefinitely, because stability is paramount.

Wen Changcheng first stated: "Please rest assured, Secretary Sun, we fully understand the spirit of your instructions."

We will definitely guide the investigation team to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and handle related issues in a lawful, prudent, and cautious manner.

While holding those responsible accountable, we must also ensure that the overall economic and social development of the county is not disrupted.

Lin Xue knew that the bridge collapse must have involved corruption.

But it seems that we can only catch a few small fish and shrimp; we can't catch any big fish.

She carefully chose her words: "Secretary Sun's instructions are very important. They have pointed the way for us to handle the follow-up work of the Wanshan Bridge accident. Our municipal party committee will definitely study and understand them carefully and implement them."

Sun Fangrun nodded: "Okay, I'm relieved that you've reached a consensus."

The specific tasks are to be handled by your city.

In short, we must be responsible to both history and the present.

Alright, it's getting late, let's go check out the project.

……

Seven days after Sun Fangrun's investigation, the latest investigation report on the cause of the Wanshan Bridge collapse was released.

The investigation report clearly points out that the direct cause of the accident was a defect in the bridge design. The construction unit did not strictly follow the specifications during the construction process, especially cutting corners and shortening the construction period in the concrete curing of the bridge piers. This resulted in insufficient load-bearing capacity in key parts of the bridge, which ultimately led to the structural collapse under extreme weather conditions that exceeded the design standards.

The report classified the accident as a serious workplace safety incident.

Corresponding handling opinions were subsequently released:

At the corporate level, Biyuan Road and Bridge Company, the party directly responsible for the accident, was ordered to suspend operations for rectification and was fined a huge amount of money.

Bi Min, the company's executive vice president, who was also the person in charge of the project site and the person primarily responsible for quality control, was criminally detained by the public security authorities on suspicion of committing crimes related to major liability accidents and major safety accidents in engineering projects.

More than ten people, including the project manager and technical director of the road and bridge company, as well as the project supervision unit and third-party testing agency, have been subjected to criminal coercive measures for suspected illegal and criminal activities.

In Qingshan County, Geng Dongqing, the county party secretary, was given a party warning as the person primarily responsible for work safety in the county and bore leadership responsibility for the accident.

Huang Xiaoyong, the deputy county head in charge, bears leadership responsibility for the accident and has been given an administrative demerit.

Several individuals from relevant functional departments, including the County Construction Bureau, Transportation Bureau, and Key Projects Management Bureau, are suspected of dereliction of duty, malfeasance, and bribery, and are under investigation by the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

On the day the results of the investigation were announced, the Publicity Department of the Longcheng Municipal Committee held a press conference to report on the accident investigation conclusions, accountability measures, and next steps for rectification. The department emphasized that lessons would be learned from the accident, and a special rectification campaign would be launched in the field of engineering construction throughout the city to comprehensively investigate potential hazards and prevent similar accidents from happening again.

Ding Yiyi has finished her studies at the Provincial Party School and returned to Qingshan.

When Wu Zhiyuan reported his work to her, he specifically mentioned the investigation into the cause of the Wanshan Bridge collapse and the accountability process.

Ding Yiyi smiled wryly and said, "Zhiyuan, although many people feel that this result is neither painful nor interesting, or even somewhat disappointing, it may be the best outcome given the current situation."

Wu Zhiyuan said solemnly, "County Chief Ding is absolutely right. This is indeed the best outcome we can achieve at the moment."

You and Secretary Lin were able to withstand the pressure and uncover the truth to this extent, holding a large number of people accountable, which can be considered as giving the public an explanation.

If we insist on digging deeper and hoping to use this accident to expose the big fish with a complex network behind it, the resistance will be enormous, and it's not very realistic.

We all know that this bridge's collapse was far from simple; the underlying transfer of benefits and rent-seeking are far beyond what a few business leaders or mid-level managers could have covered up. But the gap between ideals and reality is always so vast that it leaves us feeling powerless.

Ding Yi sighed, "What the common people want is fairness, what the higher-ups want is stability, and of course, there are also conflicts of interest involved, so in the end, this is the only compromise we can get."

What we can do is not to try and break down an insurmountable wall, but to use this accident to plug the loopholes that need to be plugged and to establish the rules that need to be established, so that at least in Qingshan County, such a project that disregards human life will never happen again.

……

Biyuan Villa.

It was still Bi Yuan, Geng Dongqing, and Huang Xiaoyong, still drinking and chatting.

Geng Dongqing breathed a sigh of relief: "The collapse of the bridge is finally over."

Bi Yuan chimed in, "Yes, it's finally settled. Although it's not the best ending, it's certainly not the worst. As long as we're alive, we can always make a comeback."

Bi Min has been arrested and is currently in the spotlight. After some time, I'll try to get him a suspended sentence.

Huang Xiaoyong tentatively asked, "President Bi, the nanny played a role in achieving this result, right?"

Bi Yuan laughed heartily: "That's a must. Others take the wife route, I'll take the maid route."

The nanny was the same nanny from Sun Fangrun's household. In reality, it was all about taking the wife's route.