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from the South China Morning Post, 1999-Apr-1, by Daniel Kwan:

Marxist message to be drilled home

Beijing is to step up its "Three Emphases" campaign by sending 46 teams on a tour of provinces and central government organs to raise cadres' ideological awareness.

The teams were made up from more than 260 "educators" who would teach cadres in the instructions issued by President Jiang Zemin , Xinhua said.

The "Three Emphases" stresses studying of the Marxist canon, "talking more about politics" and raising the level of Marxist righteousness.

It was put into top gear last month when Zeng Qinghong, a protege of President Jiang, took over as the director of the Communist Party's organisation department.

The news agency said the educators would study "conspicuous problems" cadres faced when they visited departments and workplaces. The teams would focus on the conduct and performance of senior cadres.

They would report their findings not only to the bosses of the units they investigated but also the central leadership.

Although the campaign stresses virtues such as honesty and clean government, analysts said it had more to do with the "talking more about politics" requirement set by Mr Jiang to ensure that every policy serves the interests of the Communist Party leadership with the President as its core.

Official media yesterday quoted two political heavyweights - Vice-President Hu Jintao and Politburo Standing Committee member Wei Jianxing - as backing the campaign and urging cadres to give it their full support.

On a visit to Henan province, Mr Hu said the campaign was a "Marxist re-education experience" for cadres and told them to open themselves to criticism and public scrutiny.

"This Three Emphases re-education is a test for our senior cadres to check if they truly follow the mass direction as enshrined by Marxism," Mr Hu was quoted as saying.

Public criticism would help cadres to correct their mistakes and improve work practices, he said. In Shanghai, Mr Wei stressed the importance of honesty in the campaign and said it would help curb corruption in the bureaucracy.

Last month, a commentary in the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily lamented that some cadres had neglected their political responsibilities and strayed from Marxism.