TNAG-1185-FCO40-1487-Resettlement-of-Vietnamese-refugees-from-Hong-Kong-into-the--1982 — Page 83

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This conclusion emerged from a conference which brought together 200 participants, including Vice-Premier, WAN Li and the Party Propaganda Department Chief, DENG Liqun, over the past few days to discuss political and ideo- logical education in the countryside, the agency said.

"While relaxing some aspects of central planning to enliven the rural economy, ideological and political education among peasants should be vigorously strengthened as they become more prosperous", it noted.

21.

The conference, sponsored by the Party Propaganda

Department and the Research Bureau on Rural Policies, stressed

that there would be no change in the rural policies of the

past few years. "The responsibility system for production

will last for a long time and it will not be altered against the will of the peasants", participants said. (Under this system, land is shared out among peasants, who, once they have fulfilled their quotas, are allowed to keep and market the surplus.) However, conference participants warned that "the thinking of some of the peasants is still influenced by various sources, capitalist ideas, remnant feudal ideas and the force of old habits and increasing prosperity could gen- erate new problems. This requires vigorous ideological and political work in the countryside. It is necessary to guar- antee that the present rural policy will help in the realisa- tion of the communist ideal" They called on local Party organisations to organise 'training sessions' for Party members and rural cadres during the coming winter and spring.

Some participants said the responsibility system had enlarged the gap between the poor and the rich and had given rise to 'rural capitalism'.

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Comment: 1) On the other hand, some factories are extend-

ing working hours and demanding voluntary labour on the pretext of promoting socialist spiritual ideals, claimed the 'Workers'

Daily' on 15th November, whilst others are scheduling overtime as an excuse to pay bigger bonuses. In both cases, said the WD, they are wasting scarce fuel, lowering

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/efficiency

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