Chapter 536
Lin Xiaohe, Daring to Speak and Act
Chapter 536 Lin Xiaohe, Daring to Speak and Act
After the report from the top official of Anning County was finished, the entire conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
All eyes turned to Vice-Governor Wang Wei without prior arrangement.
From the start of the meeting, he maintained a serious expression, leaning slightly forward as he listened intently.
After the top official of Anning County bowed and returned to his seat, he raised his hand and clapped lightly.
Splash!
The next moment, thunderous applause erupted in the audience.
He first highly praised and affirmed the work of Anning County, and then said that he would visit the Anning County comrades in the next few days to see their work results.
County Chief Tian and others showed expressions of anticipation and trepidation.
They had been preparing for this for more than half a month, and now they were finally about to face the final test.
……
The provincial working group was to stay in Anning County for three days, and Lin Xiaohe accompanied them throughout.
On the evening of the third day, someone knocked on Lin Xiaohe's office door.
Lin Xiaohe was taken to a quiet teahouse.
The private room was separated by a perforated teahouse screen, where two familiar people were sitting.
"Hello, leader. Hello, Mr. Xu."
Moonlight streamed through the window and fell on the dark red tea table.
A middle-aged man behind Vice-Governor Wang Wei was quietly making tea.
Lin Xiaohe sat down in the chair opposite Vice-Governor Wang Wei, took the hot tea, and quickly began to ponder the purpose of this sudden summons from the vice-governor in charge of industry.
“Xiao Lin,” Deputy Official Wang put down the documents in his hand and looked intently at Lin Xiaohe, “I’ve heard that your Changhong factory has been doing very well this year. Folding bathtubs are being sold to the south, the color TV production line has been revitalized, and you’ve even managed to revive those other struggling factories in your county?”
Lin Xiaohe smiled and said, "You flatter me, boss. I was forced to do it. So many people in the factory need to eat, there was no other way."
Deputy Official Wang nodded and smiled kindly, "We didn't call you here today to hear your modesty. The province is paying close attention to your county's practices. We want to hear your honest thoughts. What are your views on the next steps in Liaoyang Province's reforms? How should we develop the economy in the future?"
This is a crucial issue.
Lin Xiaohe glanced at Wang Fu, the high-ranking official, then at the silent Old Xu, took a sip of tea, and calmed herself down.
"Official Wang, since you've asked, I'll be frank. Please forgive me if I'm wrong."
"Please feel free to speak."
Lin Xiaohe put down her teacup and straightened her back: "I think the biggest problem for Liaoyang Province right now is that it's carrying too heavy a burden as an 'industrial base.' And it's heading into a dead end."
Deputy Senior Official Wang raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh? What dead end?" "A dead end blocked at both ends."
Some opportunities to speak only come once.
Lin Xiaohe must firmly grasp this point: "On the one hand, large factories won't die."
"The money goes in, but you don't even see a ripple. On the other hand, those who want to make a living can't. Private enterprises and township enterprises want to take on work from big factories, but there's no way they can. The supply and marketing department just says it's part of the plan and sends them away. People with skills and abilities want to go out on their own, but the factory holds onto their files and won't release them. When it comes to allocating housing, they even point their fingers at you and call you a traitor."
Deputy Senior Official Wang was silent for a moment, then sat back down in his chair: "What you said does exist. But reforms must be done step by step. Taking too big a step can easily lead to problems."
“Official Wang, if I may be so bold as to say this, the issue isn’t how big the steps are, it’s that we haven’t even taken the first step.” Lin Xiaohe looked him in the eye. “Those southern provinces are releasing water to raise fish, while we’re adding fuel to the fire. Every year we’re pouring money into loss-making businesses. Where does that money come from? From the banks. Where does the banks’ money come from? From the people’s savings. What do you call this? You’re pouring living money into stagnant water. It sinks, it’s gone, and then you keep pouring it in.”
Deputy Senior Official Wang tapped his fingers lightly on the table, without interrupting Lin Xiaohe.
Lin Xiaohe was genuinely anxious.
In the future, the problem of laid-off workers in the three old provinces will be so serious and prominent, which is related to factors such as the inevitable sacrifices and pains of reform and some objective conditions, as well as the slow progress of reform in the three old provinces.
If we can seize this opportunity to advance the reform process throughout Liaoyang Province, the number of laid-off workers affected in the future will be much smaller.
Lin Xiaohe took a sip of water: "There's a textile factory in the next county that couldn't pay wages at the end of last year, so the county coordinated with the bank to get a loan of 800,000 yuan. Three days after the money arrived, the factory held a workers' congress. The first resolution was to give retired workers six months' worth of heating allowance. The second resolution was to replace all the doors and windows in the office building, saying that the old doors and windows were drafty and the leaders couldn't work. The third resolution, guess what?"
"what?"
"They organized all the factory's middle and senior managers to go to Hainan for a study tour, supposedly to learn from the special economic zone's experience." Lin Xiaohe laughed as she finished speaking. "Wang Gaoguan, is this what you call reform? This is called taking advantage of the fact that we're still alive to quickly distribute everything that can be distributed."
Vice-official Wang's face darkened.
Old Xu, who had been silent to the side, slightly raised his eyelids and looked at Lin Xiaohe.
Lin Xiaohe paused for a moment, then continued, "Moreover, some factories are no longer factories for workers."
Vice-official Wang's eyes flickered slightly, but he did not stop Lin Xiaohe from continuing.
"Before I joined Changhong Factory, I did a lot of field research. I discovered a phenomenon: the more depressed a factory was, the more frequently its leaders changed cars. The more a factory couldn't pay wages, the more impressively its factory office building was decorated. Why? Because these people knew that the factory would go bankrupt sooner or later, so they wanted to grab whatever they could before it went bankrupt. And the workers? The workers were still foolishly waiting for the factory to pay their wages and for the organization to make arrangements for them."
It may be unpleasant to hear, but that's the reality. You can't just cover your ears and pretend it doesn't exist.
However, everyone knew the truth, but no one dared to say it out loud.
The teahouse was so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall.
The middle-aged man responsible for pouring tea quietly left the private room and stood guard at the door.
Vice-official Wang stared at Lin Xiaohe for a long time.
"Lin Xiaohe, what you said today is enough to get you into serious trouble in the province."
“I know.” Lin Xiaohe met his gaze. “But since you asked me, I have to tell you the truth. For Liaoyang Province to come back to life, we have to pop these boils first. It hurts when we pop them, but if we don’t, they’ll rot all over sooner or later.”
Deputy Official Wang remained silent, while Old Xu, standing to the side, said gently, "Since we invited you here, and chose this location, it's so you can speak freely. Don't hold back; just say what's on your mind!"