Twenty-five members of China's top leadership criticized themselves and each other at a two-day meeting which ended on Tuesday.
But unlike the attacks, defamation and even insult commonly seen in western political rivalries, the "democratic life meeting" saw the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee reach a consensus and add collective momentum to the anti-graft campaign.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, urged his fellows at the political bureau to avoid a sense of superiority regarding their power or status and keep an eye on their relatives and close aides.
Xie Chuntao, a professor from Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said as a time-honored tradition, the "democratic life meeting" is an effective way for the CPC, with 88 million members now, to reflect on its problems and find methods to improve itself, especially when China now runs into slowing economic growth and environmental degradation.
A TIME-HONORED TRADITION
Xi has attended similar sessions in the past two years as part of the effort to galvanize the "mass line" campaign, which aims to clean up undesirable work styles and build a closer connection between the Party and the masses.
"Party members and cadres should be taught to look in the mirror, straighten their attire, take a bath and seek remedies," Xi once said, referring to the importance of the meeting.
But it was the first and only such meeting for the political bureau this year, whose 25 members are in charge of all major facets of Chinese politics, including heads of China's central government and national parliament, two vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission and those who hold important regional positions, for instance the party chiefs of Beijing, Shanghai and Xinjiang.
"In the past, the democratic life meeting was many times viewed only as a formality, sometimes it was an occasion for attendees to lavish praise rather than criticism," said Xie.
Restoration of the practice needs the leading role of Party leadership, he said.
Kong Bo, a local party leader of Jieyang city in Guangdong Province, said the democratic life meeting of the political bureau has set an example for grass-roots level party organizations.
"Western-style political parties only know to attack each other while ignoring their own problems, nor dare they publicly talk about their problems, while the CPC can face up to its problems and talk about its shortcomings," said Xie.
TARGETING FAMILIES AND AIDES IN ANTI-CORRUPTION
The 18th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, the top anti-graft body, is to hold its sixth plenary session in January for its new year anti-graft plan. The CPC's new disciplinary regulation will also take effect starting from Jan. 1.
Thus the democratic life meeting gave some experts a glimpse into the direction of future anti-corruption efforts.
At the meeting, misconduct of former officials, including Zhou Yongkang, Bo Xilai, Xu Caihou, Guo Boxiong and Ling Jihua, was brought up to remind party members that they might as well lose Party spirit, a generalized term to refer to the qualification of a Party member, if they relax self-discipline.
Both Bo and Ling were members of the political bureau when they were investigated for graft while Zhou was a former member of the political bureau standing committee.
Using their corruption cases, Xi urged party members to strictly educate, manage and supervise their family members, children and working staff close to them.
Family members usually play a role in the corruption of officials, said Xin Ming from the Party School of the CPC Central Committee. For instance, many officials refuse to take bribes, letting their spouses do it instead, said Xin.
It is the same for the close aides of corrupt officials. Many of Zhou's former secretaries and aides were implicated as the investigation went on.
"By seriously investigating their misconduct and punishing them accordingly, the Party honors its responsibility to itself, to the country, the people, and history," said a news release issued after the meeting.
"The Party spirit does not grow with ages, rather, it requires members to constantly improve and temper themselves," it said.
Xu Yaotong from the Chinese Academy of Governance, said though the anti-graft campaign has borne outstanding results, it still needs long-term efforts to form a system in which officials "don't want to be corrupt, dare not to be corrupt and can't be corrupt even if they want to."
The CPC needs continued high-handed anti-corruption efforts in the new year to consolidate its ruling status, said Xu.
