The top party official in Chongqing has rolled out a political movement reminiscent of Mao Zedong to encourage tens of thousands of officials to venture out into the countryside to experience and better understand the hardships facing grass-roots citizens, local media reported yesterday.
Bo Xilai, the southwestern municipality's party secretary, launched his 'Three Activities Movement' after telling officials they 'spent too much time in the office' and should go out and 'practise with the masses' at a meeting to study President Hu Jintao's scientific development concept on Tuesday, the Chongqing Daily said.
Bo asked the cadres to get in touch with the grass roots and rural people by eating, living and doing manual labour with them.
His remarks came exactly a week after it was announced that thousands of mid-ranking police officers in Chongqing would have to reapply for their jobs.
Bo launched a sweeping crackdown on organised crime in June that has snared 3,348 suspects, including former police and justice chief Wen Qiang .
One police officer in the city said last week that Bo's move to sack mid-level officers was no different from 'a political campaign'.
'The crackdown on Chongqing's scandal-ridden police force has almost finished,' he said. 'In what comes next, the 'victims' will be civil servants.'