CASS Institute Official: Punish Those Who Questioned Education Minister

For additional background, see the following post from this blog: China's Search Engines Censor Searches for Scholar Who Questioned Education Minister's Anti-Western Values Stance

On February 3, 2015, the websites of many of China's most prominent media outlets, including the People's Daily, Xinhua, and Seeking Truth, published an article entitled "In Order to Get a Handle Over University Ideology Work, We Must Dare to Remove Obstacles" (抓好高校意识形态工作要敢于拔钉子) by Zhu Jidong (朱继东), the Deputy Director and Party Secretary of the  State Cultural Security and Ideology Building Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (国家文化安全与意识形态建设研究中心). Some excerpts:

In his words and deeds Yuan Guiren has been doing as he is duty-bound to do, so why is he being attacked from all sides? There are many reason, but the most fundamental one is that those who are participating in the attacks have in recent years dared to unsheathe their swords to besiege ideological territory, and have not received the punishment that they should, which has made them increasingly brazen. Therefore, in order to get a handle over university ideology work, we must dare to remove obstacles, and make a determined effort to remove those teachers who would disseminate speech that attacks the Party or Socialism. Only in this way can we truly punish evil and promote good, and usher in a new springtime for university ideology work. 

These particular attacks have been launched by some university instructors. One among them, a law professor at a certain university, had an essay that directed three questions to Yuan Guiren which  deliberately blurred "Western value systems," a concept which already had a clear and specific meaning, as a means to distort and twist to the point of becoming an attack. In addition, it was quickly spread over Weibo and Weixin. Then well-known professors of law and politics from institutes of higher learning including Beijing University and Chinese University of Politics and Law used their verified Sina Weibo accounts to further fan the flames, creating ideological chaos.
. . . .
Those university professors and public intellectual Big V's who in recent years have regularly launched verbal attacks on the Party and socialism are hateful, but they have not dared to be so brazenly antagonistic. As a result, they have been looking for an opportunity vent their discontent, while at the same time carrying out attacks on any word or deed that supports strengthening ideology work.
. . . .
The problem with China right now is that there are Party Secretaries and officials at some agencies responsible for controlling ideology who for many years have played it safe, and have been unwilling to draw their swords. They are not only unwilling to criticize incorrect ideological trends, but have also failed to support those comrades who insist on pushing positive energy. In some case they go so far as to use biting irony and burning satire to covertly suppress them.  

What can be done to change the situation when those who dare to unsheathe their swords in the ideological arena are repeatedly subjected to attacks from all sides? The most important thing is impose severe punishments on those who would attack those who dare to unsheathe their swords in the ideological arena, and we must dare to strike out and yank out the nails. The main reason certain people and forces  repeatedly attack those who dare to unsheathe their swords in the ideological arena is because those people and forces have not received the punishment they deserve. For example, in the case of the three questions to Yuan Guiren, neither the law professor from a certain university nor the Big V professor at his school received the punishment they deserved for repeatedly launching verbal attacks on the Party and socialism, and have instead won fame and fortune. I fear this may have a malicious effect upon instructors at institutes of higher learning. In addition, besides university instructors, there are quite a few journalists, lawyers, business people, and artists who are Big Vs on Sina Weibo who have repeatedly participated in attacks, and who have not received the punishment they deserve. It truly is the failure of certain people at relevant government agencies to do their jobs that has lead to these attackers becoming increasingly brazen. Therefore, relevant government agencies must severely investigate and prosecute these people and forces, and grab a few model examples of being on the wrong side and give them particularly harsh punishment. 

At the same time, we must resolutely take the high ground and block Western ideological infiltration and peaceful evolution, and strike hard at their representatives and spokespersons. In recent years the West has used non-governmental organizations and foundations as camouflage, and has carried out infiltration with the assistance of the Internet and other channels, in an effort to increase their infiltration of China's ideology and the strength of peaceful evolution. They have not only been actively searching for agents in China, but have also been adopting various means to vigorously manipulate the political genetic code of these people, enabling them to become a force to besiege those who would draw their swords in the ideological arena. Not only must we be on guard against this, but we must also resolutely attack all forms of infiltration into China's ideology and peaceful evolution, and under no circumstances allow them to prevail. We must also strike hard at those domestic agents and spokespersons for hostile foreign powers, show no mercy, and punish every single one we uncover. 

袁贵仁的言行也是其职责所在，为何竟然遭到围攻？其中原因很多，但最根本的一条就是，这些参与围攻者近年来屡次围攻在意识形态领域敢于亮剑者，并且没有得到应有惩处，才使得其越来越肆无忌惮。因此，要真正抓好高校意识形态工作，一定要敢于拔钉子，对那些经常发表攻击党和社会主义的言论的教师要坚决清除，才能真正惩恶扬善，迎来高校意识形态工作的崭新春天。
这场围攻首先是由部分高校的教师发起的，其中某大学法学院教授一篇三问袁贵仁的博文故意通过混淆“西方价值观念”这个本来有明确而又具体含义的概念等手段来故意曲解、歪解甚至攻击，并很快在微博、微信上广为流传。而个别新浪实名认证微博的北京大学、中国政法大学等高校的法学、政治学教授也进一步煽风点火，制造了思想混乱。
. . . .
那些近年来经常发表攻击党和社会主义的言论的高校教师和社会上的公知大V更是非常痛恨，但也不敢公然对抗。于是，他们就寻找一切机会发泄不满，同时对一切支持中央加强意识形态工作的言行进行攻击。
. . . .
而现在中国的主要问题是，各级党委有些负责同志和有些意识形态管理部门的某些人员多年来一直明哲保身、不敢亮剑，不仅不敢批判错误思潮，而且对坚持弘扬正能量的同志不支持，甚至冷嘲热讽、变相打压。因此，要真正打赢意识形态反击战，就必须尽快改变这种局面。
如何改变在意识形态领域敢于亮剑者屡屡遭到围攻的局面？最重要的就是要对于围攻在意识形态领域敢于亮剑者的言行要进行严厉惩处，并且要敢于出重拳、拔钉子。某些人或势力之所以对在意识形态领域敢于亮剑者一次次进行围攻，这些人或势力一直没有得到应有的惩处是非常重要的原因。如这次三问袁贵仁的是某大学法学院教授，而和他同一学院的一位大V教授屡屡发表攻击党和社会主义的言论却一直没有得到应有惩处甚至还名利双收，这对高校教师恐怕起到了一个恶的示范作用。此外，除了高校教师外，新浪实名认证微博中还有不少媒体人、律师、企业家、文艺界人士等也屡屡参与围攻，也没有得到应有惩处。正是有关部门某些人的不作为等原因，导致这些参与围攻者越来越嚣张。因此，有关部门一定要严厉查处这些人或势力，抓几个反面典型予以严惩。
同时，我们要站在坚决抵制西方的意识形态渗透、和平演变的高度，严厉打击其代理人、代言人。近年来，西方利用非政府组织、基金会等为掩护，借助于网络等渠道进行渗透，加大了对中国进行意识形态渗透、和平演变的力度，不仅积极在中国寻找代理人，而且采取多种手段大力地对这些人进行政治基因改造，使其成为围攻在意识形态领域敢于亮剑者的主力。我们对此不仅要高度警惕，而且要坚决打击一切在中国进行意识形态渗透、和平演变的言行，决不能让其图谋得逞。对于境外敌对势力在国内的代理人、代言人同样要严厉打击、绝不手软，发现一个严惩一个。