Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 81 The Game of Power at the Five-Member Meeting of the Municipal Party Committee

Wu Zhiyuan understood. Xu Youwei intended to use Gan Simiao further, not because Gan Simiao was outstanding in ability or upright in character, but because Gan Simiao took the initiative to side with him.

Xu Youwei has not been in Longcheng for long, and is currently weak and has few capable people.

In contrast, Mayor Ai Kun and Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee Zhang Xiaotian have formed an alliance and have been painstakingly cultivating their influence in Longcheng for many years. Whether in the counties and districts or in the municipal departments, they have their own trusted confidants whom they have personally promoted.

The officialdom is like a battlefield, but it's not simply a matter of life and death.

The most skillful political art is to allow various forces to check and balance each other, achieving a dynamic equilibrium.

Wu Zhiyuan knew that Xu Youwei's words demonstrated his complete trust in him and were also a form of mentorship. Some things cannot be learned from books.

It seems that the previous incident of secretly filming at Qinglong Mountain did not affect Xu Youwei's trust in him.

……

A meeting of the five-member municipal party committee group was held.

The five-member group of the municipal party committee consists of Xu Youwei, secretary of the municipal party committee; Ai Kun, mayor; Zhang Xiaotian, full-time deputy secretary of the municipal party committee; Lin Xue, secretary of the municipal discipline inspection commission; and Shen Chenlin, head of the organization department of the municipal party committee.

The core function of the five-person group meeting is to deliberate and consult; it is not a primary decision-making body and cannot replace the decision-making of the municipal party committee standing committee.

However, the matters discussed and approved by the five-person group meeting will, barring any unforeseen circumstances, be approved at the Standing Committee meeting of the Municipal Party Committee.

The main topic of discussion at this five-person group meeting was personnel appointments and removals.

Shen Chenlin gave each participant a list of proposed adjustments, which was formed based on the opinions solicited in the early stages.

The list of nominees recommended by Xu Youwei includes: Gan Simiao, Director of the Municipal Forestry Bureau, is proposed to be transferred to the position of Executive Deputy Director of the Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department and concurrently Director of the Municipal Cyberspace Administration; Zhou Wei, Deputy Director of the Municipal Statistics Bureau, is proposed to be promoted to Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Party Committee and Director of the Municipal Party Committee Office; Geng Dongqing is proposed to be transferred to the position of Executive Deputy Director of the Municipal Party Committee United Front Work Department; Ding Yiyi, Standing Committee Member of the Qingyan County Party Committee and Secretary of the County Discipline Inspection Commission, is proposed to be promoted to Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission in charge of daily work; and Lang Wenping, Chief of the First Secretariat Section of the Municipal Party Committee Office, is proposed to be promoted to Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission.

In addition, of the two current deputy secretaries of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, one was transferred to the Municipal Political Consultative Conference due to age, and the other was promoted to director of the Municipal Forestry Bureau.

In those days, among the deputy secretaries of the municipal discipline inspection commissions, those in charge of daily operations were at the level of a full division chief, while other deputy secretaries were at either the full division chief or deputy division chief level. Members of the standing committee of the municipal discipline inspection commission were at the deputy division chief level. However, as discipline inspection work became increasingly important, deputy secretaries of the municipal discipline inspection commissions were later typically at the level of a full division chief.

Looking at the list, Ai Kun offered his opinion: "Regarding the promotion of Comrade Ding Yiyi, I have a slightly different view, which I would like to offer for everyone's consideration."

He first praised and then criticized: "Yi Yi has the ability to work and has made achievements in the Qingyan County Discipline Inspection Commission, which is beyond doubt."

However, the position of Executive Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection is extremely crucial!

Presiding over the daily work of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection requires strong political resolve, rich experience in handling cases, and mature skills in coordinating relationships with all parties.

Comrade Yi is still relatively young, and being a woman, I'm worried she might not be able to keep up.

The work of the Discipline Inspection Commission involves a wide range of issues and is complex. Wouldn't it be more prudent to consider a more senior and prestigious comrade for this position?

Ai Kun's words seemed to stem from public concern that young cadres might not be able to shoulder the heavy responsibilities.

But the real intention was that Ding Yiyi was recommended by Xu Youwei and Lin Xue. If he were to rise to power, it would greatly strengthen Xu Youwei's control over the disciplinary committee system, which was something Ai Kun did not want to see.

Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee Zhang Xiaotian immediately echoed: "I agree with Mayor Ai's point of view. The work of the Discipline Inspection Commission does indeed require maturity and prudence."

Comrade Yi is a promising talent; he can receive further training, and he'll have many more opportunities in the future.

The two worked together, attempting to jointly veto this crucial nomination.

Faced with the "sniping" of Ai Kun and Zhang Xiaotian, Xu Youwei did not adopt a defensive strategy, nor did he defend Ding Yiyi, but instead launched an attack.

Offense is the best defense.

He took a sip of water and said slowly, "Mayor Ai, Secretary Zhang, your concerns about Comrade Ding Yiyi are reasonable. Young cadres do need experience."

However, when it comes to job suitability and cadre maturity, I would like to discuss the issue of Comrade Yuan Jin.

Ai Kun's eyes narrowed, knowing that Xu Youwei was about to retaliate.

Xu Youwei continued, "Comrade Yuan Jin has only been the deputy director of the municipal government office for three years, right?"

Is it too much of a leap to nominate him directly as the director of the municipal finance bureau?

The Finance Bureau is the lifeblood of our city's finances, and it is related to the city's economic lifeline and overall development. Its responsibility is heavier than Mount Tai.

This position has always been filled by experienced division-level cadres or by senior deputy cadres.

Although Comrade Yuan Jin is quite capable, he lacks experience in leading a large-scale, comprehensive operation. I worry whether he can handle the task of directly managing the Finance Bureau. Wouldn't it be a case of pushing a seedling too hard?

Wouldn't it be more prudent to let another more experienced colleague take over the transition?

Xu Youwei's questioning was equally reasonable and well-founded, directly pointing to Yuan Jin's core weakness of insufficient qualifications, making it difficult to refute.

He was clearly telling Ai Kun: if you reject the cadres I nominated are "too young," then the problem of your nominees being "inexperienced" also exists, and may even be more pronounced. If you want to reject my people, be prepared for your own people to be rejected as well.

This is the unspoken rule at the five-person group meeting: power exchange and compromise.

In general, all parties will tacitly reach a balance: if you support my people, I will naturally support yours.

However, if one side breaks the tacit agreement first and questions the other side's key personnel, it will inevitably trigger a reciprocal counterattack, which may result in both sides suffering losses.

Xu Youwei's precise counterattack instantly made the atmosphere of the meeting tense.

Ai Kun's expression was somewhat grim. Yuan Jin was a trusted confidant whom he had been cultivating, and arranging him for such a crucial position in the Finance Bureau was of great importance to him.

At this moment, Lin Xue, the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, spoke up: "I would like to share some thoughts. During his time working at the Qingyan County Discipline Inspection Commission, Comrade Ding Yiyi presided over and participated in the investigation of many major and complex cases. He was principled and dared to confront tough issues, which earned him full recognition from the provincial and municipal discipline inspection commissions."

The work of the Discipline Inspection Commission has its own unique characteristics. Sometimes, breaking away from seniority and boldly using young cadres who have been tested can be more effective in opening up new prospects. This is also in line with the spirit of the higher authorities regarding the cultivation and selection of outstanding young cadres.

As for Comrade Yuan Jin, financial work requires extremely strong macro-control capabilities and risk prevention awareness. The accumulation of qualifications and experience is indeed very important, and the concerns of the capable secretary are not without merit.

Seeing that the stalemate was not resolved, Shen Chenlin, the Minister of Organization, as a centrist, began to play a mediating role: "The opinions of the leaders are all very insightful and are based on the overall situation of the work."

Comrade Ding Yiyi is young and promising, with great courage and is an outstanding young cadre in the discipline inspection system;

Comrade Yuan Jin also demonstrated strong work ability.

My thought is that regarding the appointment of Comrade Ding Yiyi, we can emphasize that this is a bold attempt to cultivate and train outstanding young cadres, and I believe that under the leadership of Secretary Lin Xue, she will be able to quickly become competent in her work.

Although Comrade Yuan Jin is young, he has formal training in the relevant field and has many years of experience in the municipal government office, possessing the ability to handle complex situations. His promotion to Director of the Finance Bureau also reflects our policy of boldly using and cultivating outstanding cadres.