Twenty years have passed since the great leader Comrade
The brilliant success in the consolidation and development of the people’s government and triumphant advance of socialist construction is inseparable from the noble efforts of the officials of government organizations, who have worked devotedly with unfailing loyalty to the Party and the leader, and to the motherland and the people.
Availing myself of this lecture course for officials of people’s government organizations, I would like to extend on behalf of the
Party Central Committee, and on my own, warm thanks to all the officials of government organs who have worked with devotion under the leadership of the Party to consolidate the people’s power and improve its function and role so as to vigorously step up socialist construction and add lustre to our style of socialism centred on the masses.
Our revolutionary cause, which has been advancing triumphantly under the banner of the Juche idea, is developing today in a new historical situation. Socialism has suffered setbacks in several countries, and, with this as a momentum, the imperialists and reactionaries are resorting to blatant anti-socialist schemes. In this difficult situation we are striving to safeguard and advance our style of socialism centred on the masses. Our people have a sacred duty to the epoch and to history to smash the counterrevolutionary offensive of the imperialists and reactionaries, advance the socialist cause and expedite the historic cause of reunifying the country. The prevailing situation at home and abroad, and the grave revolutionary tasks facing us demand that we consolidate the people’s government without letup, and further enhance its function and role.
At the historic Third Session of the Ninth Supreme People’s Assembly the Socialist Constitution, which the great leader had revised and supplemented with deep insight into the requirements of the developing situation, was promulgated. The new Socialist Constitution is a Juche-orientated manifesto of socialist politics in that it consolidates by law the great victory and ac
We must further strengthen the people’s government as an invincible weapon of our revolution and bring its advantages into full play by applying the Socialist Constitution in a thoroughgoing way, completing the socialist cause of Juche.
The people’s government is a sturdy political weapon in revolution and construction for consolidating and developing the socialist system, and winning the final victory of the socialist cause.
Government is political authority wielded over all the members of society to defend and satisfy the demands and interests of a class or a social community. It is also a basic factor that decides the character of a social system and the development of a society. The masses of the people can carve out their destiny independently and creatively as genuine masters of the state and society only when they have become the masters of the political power. The masses’ cause of independence, i.e., their struggle to consummate the cause of socialism and communism, is a gigantic and complicated creative process of wiping out all sorts of remnants of the old society and transforming nature, society and man in line with the masses’ essential nature of independence. It is accompanied by a fierce class struggle to smash the anti-socialist manoeuvres of the enemy both at home and abroad. For the victorious advance of the socialist and communist cause, all the members of society should be rallied into a single political force for the consolidation of the motive force of the revolution and the improvement of its role, and a thoroughgoing dictatorship over the class enemies should be enforced. The work of organizing and mobilizing the popular masses for the revolutionary struggle and construction work for realizing their independence can be performed only by the people’s government under the leadership of the working-class party. The people’s government represents the independent rights and interests of the masses. It is also a political organization which organizes the masses and leads them to the accomplis
Our people’s government is a highly stable and viable socialist government, which is accomplishing the cause of socialism and communism.
It is a genuine socialist power centred on the popular masses and guided by the Juche idea.
A guiding ideology is the basic factor that determines the character and mission as well as the principles and modes of the activities of the government. It also guarantees stability and vitality of power. The forms of socialist governments and the principles and modes of their activities vary in accordance with the ideologies guiding them. In order for a socialist government to preserve its working-class and popular character, and execute politics as suited to the intrinsic demands of socialist society, it should base itself on a guiding ideology that reflects truthfully the requirements of the times and the developing revolution.
The Juche idea is a man-centred world outlook. It is a revolutionary, scientific and political theory that accurately illumines the way for realizing the independence of the masses. The idea has set up a world view and a standpoint with humanity at the centre, given a scientific elucidation of the law governing the socio-historical process with the masses at the centre and explained new guiding principles of revolution and construction by reflecting the intrinsic demands of the masses. It is the supremely correct guiding ideology of revolution and construction in our times, created in reflection of the masses’ aspiration for independence. Its rightness and vitality have been testified graphically in revolutionary practice.
Our people’s government, proceeding from the Juche idea, was established and is run by the people in conformity with their will and desire, and through their efforts. In its construction and activities it places the masses’ demands for and interests in independence at the centre and subordinates everything to enhancing their position and role. The essential advantage of our people’s government that embodies the Juche idea is that it ensures that the masses exercise substantially their rights as masters of the government and politics, and perform their responsibilities and role as such. It is a fundamental principle in building the people’s government that the masses must be empowered as the masters of the government and the government be made to it serve them.
The people’s government strictly adheres to independent and creative stands, and takes ideology as an essential matter in revolution and construction.
The independent and creative stands are the fundamental stands and methods that should be maintained in revolution and construction. It is only when these stands are adhered to by the government in its activities that it can successfully carry out revolution and construction in conformity with the interests of the people and the concrete realities of the country, and defend to the last the socialist cause in any adversity. Opposed to the worship of great powers, dogmatism and other outdated ideas of all descriptions, it regards as its invariable principle the solution of all problems arising in the building of the government and in its activities, in accordance with its independent judgement and viewpoint and the actual realities of our country, and by drawing on the efforts of the people. It is building up the economy and defence capability by relying on the people and to suit the realities of the country. Juche in ideology, independence in politics, self-sufficiency in the economy and self-reliance in national defence is the guiding principle upheld by our people’s government in the revolutionary struggle and construction work.
Promoting the revolution and construction by heig
It is the historic mission of the people’s government to apply in a thoroughgoing way the Juche idea into all spheres of public activity, and provide the masses with a fully independent and creative life. All the members of society should be remoulded into communists of the Juche type, and society and nature transformed as required by the Juche idea by applying this idea; only then can the ideological and material fortresses of communism be occupied. Modelling the whole society on the Juche idea is the general target of the activities of the people’s government. By building itself and performing its activities with the Juche idea as its guiding ideology, our people’s government is providing the masses with genuine rights and freedom, and an ethical, civilized life in all state and social spheres. It is also safeguarding the independence of the country and the nation.
The people’s government is a stable socialist power whose socio-political foundation is the broad masses of the people.
The socio-political foundation constitutes the basis of the building of a government and its activities. A government separated from that foundation is inconceivable, as its existence and power are dependent on its socio-political foundation. Needless to say, economic power and defence capabilities are important factors that guarantee the building of a government and its activities. Nevertheless, however developed the economy and however strong the defences a government has, it cannot demonstrate its vitality nor maintain its existence if its socio-political foundation is not solid. A government based on a stable social and class foundation, and supported by the broad masses will thrive; one which is neither based on such a foundation nor supported by the masses will crumble.
The socio-political foundation of a government is closely related to its form. With the wide participation of the workers, farmers, intellectuals and other working masses of all strata in the revolutionary movement of our times, the social and class foundation of the revolution became remarkably wide. And this demanded the steady expansion and consolidation of the socio-political foundation of the working-class government. The people’s government is a socialist power of a new type, which was established reflecting the law-governed requirements of the development of the revolutionary movement of our times, as the socio-political base of the struggle for independence became broader.
The people’s government is a truly popular power, relying on the workers, farmers, intellectuals and other broad working masses. The power in our country is held by all classes and strata of the society which are on the side of the revolution. The people’s government provides them wit
Having developed on the basis of the worker-peasant alliance led by the working class and by relying on the united front of the broad popular masses, the socio-political foundation of our people’s government is being further strengthened today by the force of the whole of the people united single-mindedly. Power relying on the broad popular masses has a positive influence on the mustering of all classes and strata of society to the effort for attaining the common goal of the society and developing the social and class relations into collective one of helping and leading one another. With the people’s government as a weapon, our people have carried out two stages of social revolution, established the socialist system and united single-mindedly in their effort to consummate the revolutionary cause of Juche. The social and political foundation of single-minded unity on which our people’s government is based is the most solid unity whereby the leader, the Party and the masses form an integral whole. The relationship between the leader, the Party and the masses in our country can be likened to the one between the seed, stone and flesh of a peach. The seed is protected and can mature only when the flesh ripens fully; likewise, the Party is strengthened and the guidance of the leader provided effectively when the masses live and fight regarding the revolutionary ideology of the Party and the leader as the only yardstick in the shaping of their destiny. Nothing can demolish the socio-political foundation of our people’s government, whereby all the people are united single-mindedly behind the Party and the leader in one ideology and purpose, as well as in ethics and loyalty, based on Comrade
Our people’s government is the most solid and vigorous socialist power, provided with the distinguished leadership of the great leader Comrade
The decisive factor that guarantees the solidity and vitality of a socialist government is the leadership provided by an outstanding working-class leader. The prominent working-class leader originates the idea and theories on the building of the socialist government and develops them as required by the times and the development of the revolution; under his leadership, the socialist government is established and its activities orientated at every stage of revolution and construction. The working-class leader establishes and guides the socialist government, a weapon in revolution and construction, with which to put his ideas and leadership into effect. The socialist government separated from his ideas and leadership cannot conduct revolutionary and popular politics. The politics of the socialist government is nothing but the working-class leader’s politics, and its might and vitality are dependent on the greatness of his politics.
The great leader originated the immortal Juche idea and, on this basis, shed light on the line of building a people’s government which would reflect the requirements of the times and the developing revolution, and applied it effectively. He is the founder of our people’s government and is an outstanding politician who exercises politics centred on the masses in state activities.
The great leader’s politics is the politics of independence. The masses’ struggle for independence is waged with a country and its people as a unit. Their destiny is linked to the destiny of their country and its people as one, which is guaranteed by the politics of independence. If a power does not pursue such politics, it cannot defend the dignity and interests of the country and its people, and the masses cannot but be reduced to colonial slaves. Independence in politics is the first criterion of a sovereign state. In the revolutionary struggle and construction work the great leader has formulated all the lines and policies in conformity with the interests of our people and the realities of our country, and carried them out by drawing on the efforts of our people. Thanks to his independent politics, the dignity and honour of our country and its people have been brought to distinction today and a new path hewn for the destiny of our people.
The great leader’s politics is genuinely democratic politics. Democracy is the basic criterion that characterizes the progressive nature of a power and basic mode of politics to realize the masses’ independence. Democracy should be ensured in all social spheres so that the masses may lead an independent and creative life. The great leader clarified the truth that the masses are the masters of politics and politics should serve them, and has pursued politics which crystallized the thinking of the masses. Thanks to his democratic politics, our people are provided wit
The great leader’s politics pursues unity. The unity of the popular masses is the source of stability and strength of a socialist government, and a sure guarantee for realizing the independence of the masses. The masses of the people must unite to realize and defend their independence. From the time he first embarked on the road of revolutionary struggle, the great leader has regarded unity as the basic factor ensuring victory in the revolution, and devoted his all to the unity and cohesion of the revolutionary ranks. By pursuing unity-oriented politics, he magnanimously embraced all those who, though having transgressed against the country and the people in the past, have since taken the road of patriotism. Today this politics of the leader has united the masses of all strata into one and is arousing them for the effort for socialist construction and national reunification.
The great leader’s politics is benevolent politics. The people are the masters of society; they are the creators of social wealth. Genuine politics for them should respect them and grant them all benefits. The great leader regards the people as his revolutionary comrades and teachers, and brings them all manner of honour and happiness. He leads them as a benevolent father would do, and shows them gracious affection while taking pleasure from the people’s joy. Thanks to his benevolent politics, our people’s government is performing fully its duty as a faithful servant of the people, and the people are enjoying a worthwhile life without any worries in all social spheres.
The great leader’s politics based on independence, democracy, unity and benevolence originates in his deep love for and trust in the masses of the people. Love for and trust in the masses are the fundamental principle of the politics pursued by him. They are the kernel and basis of the politics centred on the masses of the people.
That our people’s government, under the revolutionary banner of the Juche idea, is bringing its might and vitality into full play by relying on the powerful motive force of the revolution is the brilliant outcome of the great leader’s politics based on independence, democracy, unity and benevolence. The embodiment of the political ideals of Juche and of independence, democracy, unity and benevolence under the leadership of the leader is the source of the great attractive force and invincibility of our people’s government, which is adding lustre to our style of socialism centred on the masses and carrying forward brilliantly the revolutionary cause of Juche.
The guiding ideology, socio-political foundation and the leader’s guidance are the main factors that decide the solidity and vitality of a socialist government and the successful construction of socialism and communism. This is a valuable revolutionary trut
As masters of the state and society in the bosom of the people’s government, our people are enjoying a dignified, happy and worthwhile life. Through their practical experience they feel affectionately the preciousness of the people’s government. Our workers, farmers, intellectuals and all the other people have now entrusted their destiny to the people’s government and visualize, through its development, a brilliant future when the socialist cause of Juche will emerge victorious and when their independent and creative life will be brought into fuller bloom.
As it is guided by the immortal Juche idea, based on a firm socio-political foundation and provided with the sagacious leadership of the great leader, our people’s government has become an invincible socialist power, and beacon of hope and battle flag spurring mankind to the accomplis
In order to press ahead with the cause of socialism, the function and role of the people’s government should be enhanced in every way.
Providing a unified leadership for society is the basic function of the people’s power.
It is a comprehensive function of grasping all the spheres of social life and regions in the country, and of organizing and regulating their development. This function satisfies the masses’ demand for independence on a society-wide scale and ensures their creative activities. The characteristics of the people’s government’s function of unified leadership is that it meets the basic demand of the popular masses by raising their position and role. This function should be consistently maintained so long as the people’s government exists. It is an indispensable function that should be enhanced all the more along with the in-depth promotion of the construction of socialism and communism.
A socialist government is the most comprehensive political organization involving all the members of society. There are other political organizations in a socialist society, such as political parties which represent the interests of a social community. While these organizations represent the interests of a particular social community and motivate the members belonging to it, a socialist government is a socially comprehensive political organization which represents all the members of society and leads them. It is authorized not only to supervise and guide the people but to administer the wealth of the society. A socialist government which is empowered with all authority as a comprehensive political organization performs the function of unified leadership of society.
Unified leadership of society is an intrinsic demand of socialist society. Socialist society is a society of collectivism, in which all the members, united into a socio-political organism, live in harmony while helping and guiding one another. It is also a highly-organized society which transforms all areas of social life and regions of the country purposefully and con-sciously. The unity and relationship of cooperation between the members of society are not realized of their own accord, nor do all the areas of social life and regions of the country develop in a harmonized manner on their own, even though it is a socialist society in which the state power and the means of production are in the hands of the masses of the people. The historical experience of socialist construction shows that, without proper guidance provided by the government, the unity of the members of society and its harmonious development cannot be realized, and neither can the masses’ independent and creative activities be organized and conducted purposefully; in the long run, the socialist system itself cannot be maintained.
The unified guidance of the socialist government should ensure balanced and harmonious development of all spheres of social life and regions of the country, and give full play to the initiative of each sphere and unit. Their balanced and harmonious development is a prerequisite for realizing the complete socio-political equality of all the members of society and developing their standard of living evenly and rapidly. Providing unified leadership for society does not contradict the ensuring of the initiative of the individual areas and units. The initiative of those areas and units is not displayed spontaneously in a socialist society; it can be brought into full play in a purposeful and conscious way only when unified leadership is provided by the state. The imperialists’ and reactionaries’ slandering of the unified leadership by the socialist government as administrative and bureaucratic is a sophistry aimed at tarnishing the image of the socialist system and stamping out socialism. The negation of the socialist government’s function of unified leadership is nothing other than opposition to socialism itself. The deviation known as administrative commandism appeared in some socialist countries in the past just because the ruling systems and methods of the old societies had not been overcome in the field of the administration of society, and the officials in government organs, retaining the remnants of outdated ideas, did not properly exercise unified leadership of society. The point is how a socialist government should provide unified leadership of society.
A people’s government should bear the responsibility for politics, the economy, culture and all the other fields of social life and for all the regions of the country, and provide unified guidance and administration.
Government is the basic means of carrying out politics; it dominates political life. A people’s government should provide the masses with the right of independence in a thoroughgoing way so that they can become the genuine masters of the state and society. This means the right to safeguard and realize independence, the socio-political integrity of man. It is a genuine right which combines in a proper way the common demand of the society and the demand of each member of the social community, and satisfies them. The popular masses should exercise this right in a substantial fashion to occupy the position of masters of the state and society, perform their responsibilities and roles as such and add lustre to their dignity and value as social beings. Granting them the right of independence is the fundamental condition for realizing their independence. Representing their right of independence, the people’s government should pay primary attention to granting it to them so that they can enjoy a worthwhile political life, adding lustre to their valuable socio-political integrity. The rights of citizens stipulated in the Socialist Constitution legalized our people’s right of independence. The people’s political power should create all the conditions for the people’s exercise of this right in a substantial way, as stipulated in the Constitution. It should gather in a timely fashion the masses’ opinions and demands, and satisfy them. It should also involve the broad masses in the administration of the state and in social and political activities. In this way, it should ensure that all the citizens participate in political life appropriately. It should see to it that the popular masses, through the political life of the state, enjoy democratic rights and freedom to their heart’s content.
Socialist economy is a planned economy and a large-scale, collective economy in which all the sectors are organically linked. It should be guided and managed in a unified way. Moreover, the more it develops, the more the unified guidance should be intensified. The people’s government should set the targets and direction of economic construction on the basis of the Party’s line and policies, and organize economic work to the minutest detail to expedite socialist economic construction. It should develop the socialist economy at a steady and rapid rate by applying the fundamentals and principles of the management of the socialist economy and by putting into effect the Juche-orientated system and method of economic management. It should ensure a proper balance between accumulation and expenditure in socialist economic construction, manage distribution correctly according to the work done and further develop welfare services for the people to improve their liveli-hood in a balanced manner in accordance with the essential nature of socialism. It should resolve the problems arising in economic work in a responsible way, and direct all its efforts to the improvement of the people’s livelihood, thus providing an abundant material life for them. In this way, it should perform its duty properly as the one responsible for the people’s livelihood.
Developing socialist ideology and culture is an important undertaking to improve the independent ideological consciousness and creative ability of the masses. The more their independent ideological consciousness and creative ability are developed, the deeper and wider their creative activities to transform nature and society will be. The people’s govern-ment should organize and guide this undertaking in a purposeful, conscious and systematic way. It should promote the ideological and cultural revolutions to raise all the members of society to be developed and sturdy people who are equipped with independent ideological consciousness, high cultural attainments and knowledge. It should bar imperialist and reactionary ideological and cultural infiltration and imbue the masses of the people firmly with the ideals of socialism. As socialist society regards the ideals of socialism as its lifeline, it will perish if the masses suffer from ideological and spiritual maladies. Socialism, won at the cost of blood, crumbled in several countries helplessly because their peoples had been affected by ideological and spiritual maladies. The people’s government should carry out in a substantial manner ideological transformation and political work at the same time as taking revolutionary measures for checking the infiltration of bourgeois ideological elements of all descriptions which affect the masses’ ideology and mentality.
The building of defence capabilities is a very important undertaking to defend the country, the people, the socialist system and the revolutionary gains against the aggression of the enemy. As the imperialists and reactionaries are raising an anti-socialist, anti-DPRK clamour and resorting to schemes to provoke a new war more viciously than ever before, the people’s government should direct great attention to the strengthening of the country’s defence capabilities. As required by the Party’s military line, it should turn the entire army into an army of cadres and modernize it from top to bottom to turn it into an invincible revolutionary force armed with lofty political and ideological consciousness and up-to-date military science and technology; it should also put all the people under arms and fortify the whole country to turn it into an impregnable fortress and make the whole people fully ready to frustrate the enemy’s aggression. The entire people should be fully equipped with our Party’s view of war, and a social tenor of attaching importance to military affairs should be established throughout the society. In accordance with the features of modern warfare, the people’s government should keep in reserve sufficient materials needed in wartime, build properly the important military strategic areas and develop the munitions industry.
Developing foreign relations is an important undertaking for the Government of the Republic to expedite socialist construction and national reunification, strengthen the relations of friendship and cooperation with other countries and realize global independence. The Government of the Republic should develop foreign relations so as to unite with the revolutionary people all over the world who uphold independence. Thus it will make an active contribution to the effort for global independence. Independence, peace and friendship are the basic ideals of the foreign policy of the Government of the Republic and the principles on which its external activities are based. The Government of the Republic should establish and develop state, political, economic and cultural relations with all the countries which are friendly to our country on the principles of complete equality, independence, mutual respect, noninterference in each other’s affairs and mutual benefit. Under the Party’s slogan, “Let the people the world over who uphold independence unite!” the Government of the Republic should channel every effort into strengthening in every possible way unity and solidarity with the people all over the world who aspire to independence.
The Government of the Republic should safeguard, in unity with the revolutionary people of the world, socialism from all manoeuvres of the imperialists and reactionaries. It should unite with the people of the world who uphold independence and render active support to the efforts of people in all countries to ac
The people’s democratic dictatorship is an important function of the people’s government.
The people’s democratic dictatorship of our people’s government is a popular dictatorship whic
The function of the people’s democratic dictatorship is a power function of the people’s government to smash all counterrevolutionary schemes and elements destructive to socialism and that infringe upon the masses’ interests, and to provide democratic rights and freedom for the people.
The people’s government should not regard the power function, the function of dictatorship, to be omnipotent in the administration of society and in revolution and construction. But, for all that, it should not neglect this function in the least. While intensifying the military, political and economic pressure upon the socialist and other progressive countries, the imperialists and reactionaries have directed the spearhead of attack at our country and are now resorting to all manner of wicked acts of subversion and sabotage. In order for our people’s government to frustrate the anti-socialist manoeuvres of the imperialists and reactionaries, and defend the interests and security of the masses, it must strengthen its function of dictatorship.
The people’s government should thoroughly suppress the acts of subversion and sabotage of the hostile elements. The building of socialism and communism is accompanied by the struggle to smash the imperialists’ schemes of aggression and the manoeuvres of internal hostile elements who are in league with them. The more complicated the situation at home and abroad and the more the revolution develops, the more wicked and wily the hostile elements’ manoeuvres against socialism become. The people’s government should step up the people’s democratic dictatorship to punish without mercy the remaining elements of the exploiter class who scheme to destroy and overthrow the socialist system, and the spies and subversive elements who infiltrate from outside. It should bring the broad masses to a high degree of class consciousness and enlist them in the struggle against counterrevolutionaries so that they can fetter all class enemies. The people’s government should firmly defend the socialist system and revolutionary gains by improving the role of the dictatorial machinery and promptly suppressing the manoeuvres of the hostile elements.
The people’s government should strengthen legal sanctions against those who, tainted with outdated ideas, violate legal order, so as to root out non-socialist practices.
The most dangerous of non-socialist practices is delinquency, which causes unease in the minds of the people and disturbs social order and thus has a disturbing influence on the masses. If delinquency is allowed to grow gradually, it will put the socialist system in jeopardy. We should not underestimate it on the ground that there are only a handful of delinquents; we must nip them in the bud. The people’s government should take revolutionary measures to eliminate delinquency and make sure that the delinquents know the severity of the socialist law. We should never frig
The people’s government should also fight against misappropriation and squandering of the property of the state and society in violation of the law, and corruption and irregularities in connection with money and goods, such as commercial wrongdoings. In socialist society there cannot, and should not, be those who cheat others, idle away their time without labouring, or enjoy special prosperity. The people’s government should do away with all manner of corruption and irregularities, enable all the working people to live and work in conformity with the requirements of socialism, improve the people’s standard of material and cultural life evenly and protect it consistently.
The dictatorship of the people’s government over the forces and elements which infringe upon the interests of the masses is not a violation of human rights; it is a thoroughgoing defence of human rights. Human rights are the sacred rights of social man, who is desirous of living and growing in an independent and creative way. The masses embody genuine human rights. By nature, the people’s democratic dictatorship is a power function of the people’s government to ensure democratic rights and liberty for the masses as befits the masters of the state and society. Those who violate human rights are the imperialists and reactionaries; they brutally suppress and persecute in an inhuman way people who demand freedom and democracy, and infringe even on their elementary right to existence. The imperialists and reactionaries slander, under the signboard of “defence of human rights,” the exercising of power by the socialist government over hostile elements as a violation of human rights; this is a nonsensical clamour. Our people’s government, as a revolutionary weapon for safeguarding the independence of the masses, should further intensify the people’s democratic dictatorship to serve the masses better.
The revolutionary cause of Juche for realizing the independence of the masses is a process of deep-going change and great creation to transform man, society and nature, as required by the Juche idea. It is also a long-term undertaking to be conducted for generations to come. This cause can be promoted successfully and finally consummated only when the broad masses take an active part in it and exert their efforts with complete consistency. And this cause is realized by the people’s government, which has the authority and power to organize and command in a unified way the activities of all the members of society.
In its character, form, mission, tasks, function and role, our people’s government is the best one for successfully realizing the cause of socialism and communism. We should strengthen the people’s government continuously to further develop it and bring it to perfection, in accordance with the requirements of socialist and communist societies.
In order to develop the people’s government into a solid and powerful revolutionary one which can victoriously consummate the revolutionary cause of Juche, we must hold fast to revolutionary principles in the building of power.
Applying the leader’s ideas and leadership in a thoroughgoing way is the fundamental principle for the building of the people’s government.
The people’s government steadfastly defends and carries out the leader’s ideas and leadership; all its activities are a process by which the leader’s ideas and leadership are put into practice. A government which applies the leader’s ideas and leadership consummates the revolutionary cause of its leader through generations, but a government which does not apply them cannot withstand the enemy’s slanders and attacks, and will crumble. This is a truth confirmed by the history of the building of the working-class government. We should apply the leader’s ideas and leadership to the building of government with tenacity to make the people’s government an invincible revolutionary one which consistently and victoriously advances the leader’s revolutionary cause, and which inherits and accomplishes this task.
In the building of government, a monolithic ideological system should be established thoroughly and its inheritance ensured.
This means that government is built and run with the leader’s ideas as the only guiding principle, and developed steadily on the basis of his ideas. In other words, this means that it is developed into a government which promotes the leader’s revolutionary cause of realizing the masses’ independence and it safeguards its character through generations.
Building it into the leader’s revolutionary government for the masses’ independence and preserving its revolutionary character unchanged are fundamental requirements in the whole historical period of the building of a socialist government. In the historical period of the building of the revolutionary government, one generation of the revolution is succeeded by another without interruption, and its revolutionary tasks change, but its revolutionary character as the leader’s revolutionary government should never change. If it does not inherit its revolutionary character, this means that its revolutionary character as a government for the masses has been changed. As the lessons of history show, the enemies and renegades of the revolution perpetrated wicked acts aimed at weakening and besmirching the leader’s ideas and leadership in the building of government to destroy and overthrow the revolutionary government. In the building of government we should always pay primary attention to preserving the revolutionary character of the people’s government unchanged, with the leader’s revolutionary ideas as the firm guide.
The traditions the leader has established in the building of the revolutionary government should be preserved and inherited through generations in their pure form. Like all the other revolutionary causes, the cause of building government develops along a certain law-governed course, and, in this course, the idea, theory and method of building government are created and ac
Party leadership should be intensified in the building of government.
The leader’s ideas and leadership are translated into practice through the party’s leadership. The working-class party is the vanguard and guide of the revolution, which fights with the mission of materializing the leader’s ideas and leadership, and the people’s government is an executor of the party’s lines and policies. It is only under the party’s leadership that the people’s government can preserve its revolutionary character, fulfil its function and role, and develop continuously. The existence of the people’s government is inconceivable apart from the party. The party’s leadership is its lifeline. The realities show that if the working-class party’s leadership is lacking, the people are deprived not only of their power but also of their democratic rights and freedom, as well as a happy life. We should reject categorically all tendencies and attempts to deny or weaken the Party’s leadership over the government, and establish a thoroughgoing system of Party leadership in the people’s government. By improving the Party’s leadership and fighting efficiency, and solving all the problems arising in the building of government and in its activities consistently under the Party’s leadership, we should develop the people’s government into a political weapon for all time which accomplishes the leader’s revolutionary cause.
The people’s government should be consolidated and developed from the Juche-oriented standpoint. This is a fundamental requirement in the building of the people’s government. Man, a social being, lives and develops in a unit of a certain social community. A country and its people constitute a social community which strikes its roots into the depths of the life of the people and integrates them into a solid body with a common destiny. It is therefore natural that the building of government is conducted with a country and its people as a unit. If people follow flunkeyism and dogmatism, instead of holding fast to the Juche-oriented standpoint, they cannot solve the problems arising in the building of government independently to suit their demands and interests, and, in the long run, the cause of government building is endangered. In order to solve the problems arising in the building of government independently and creatively, it is necessary to hold fast to the Juche-oriented standpoint. Guided invariably by the Juche idea in the building of the people’s government, we should accomplish the cause of government building in our own fashion from the firm standpoint of Juche.
The people’s government should be developed to suit the ever-increasing demand of the masses of the people for independence.
With the development of the times and the revolution, the demand for independence of the masses increases steadily. Only when the people’s government is developed to suit the ever-increasing demand for independence of the masses can it become a government which serves the people. The struggle to win power is arduous, and the undertaking to develop the power which has been won into a genuine power which serves the people is difficult and complicated. When a government is developed in such a way it will be loved and supported by the people, or else it will be forsaken by them. A government forsaken by the people will crumble, but a government loved and supported by the people will grow stronger.
In order for the people’s government to develop to suit the ever-increasing demand for independence of the masses, it should map out and carry out its policies in conformity with the aspirations and wishes of the masses on the basis of the elaborated Party’s lines and policies. The people’s government’s policies define the orientation, contents and methods of its building and activities. How the government is built and administered, in the long run devolves on how it maps out and executes its policies. That it maps out its policies in conformity with the will of the masses means that it makes theirs its own organizational will. Although the people’s government regards the masses’ will as its own, it does not precisely mean that it is built and run to suit their demands and interests. In order for the people’s government to be built and managed in substantial conformity with the masses’ demands and interests, it should turn its policies into those of the masses themselves and execute them by drawing on their efforts and wisdom. An important point here is to give the people’s government institutional and legal power to map out and execute its policies, and to supervise and regulate their execution, so that it can exercise power in a substantial manner. We should ensure that the people’s government steadily improves its work of mapping out policies and executing them in conformity with the masses’ will, and thus always serves the people sincerely.
In order to build the people’s government to satisfy the ever-increasing masses’ demand for independence, the socialist system should be consolidated and brought to perfection, as government building is guaranteed and intensified by the consolidation and development of the socialist system. We should steadily develop our style of socialism centred on the masses, thereby making the people’s government a genuine revolutionary government which serves the people sincerely, is rooted deep among them, and forms an integral whole with them.
In order for the people’s government to perform its mission and carry out its tasks successfully, it must build government bodies at all levels solidly and improve their work steadily, in conformity with the developing realities and the aspirations of the masses.
The function and role of the power organs should be improved.
A power organ is a genuine representative organ of the masses, which directly represents the will of the masses and exercises power in their interests. It occupies a leading position in the
The people’s assembly, composed of excellent representatives of all social strata on the principle of democratic election, is a power organ whic
The people’s committee is a standing power organ, whose main activity is guidance throug
In improving the work of the people’s committees, it is important to enhance the role of the Central People’s Committee. It is only when the role of the Central People’s Committee, the highest leadership organ of state power, is improved that a unified leadership of the political, economic and cultural lives of the country can be effected satisfactorily, and a well-regulated working system of power organs established. While supervising and regulating the work of the Administration Council, the committee should provide substantial guidance to the work of the local people’s committees and the judicial and procuratorial organs.
The role of administrative and executive organs should be enhanced.
On the basis of their stipulations, orders, decrees, resolutions and directives of the power organs, they organize, guide and provide for social life. As the building of socialism and communism advances, society becomes more organized and social life becomes more diversified. Socialist society can be managed properly and society can develop in a harmonious manner only when the role of the administrative and executive organs is improved steadily.
The Administration Council is the administrative and executive body of the highest organ of state power. It takes measures to implement the policies of the Party and the state, and organizes and guides administrative and economic work in all fields. It should have a good grasp of all the administrative and economic work of the country in order to give guidance, with the main emphasis on the command of economic work. The important problems related to economic work should be presented to the council, the economic HQ, and handled and arranged there. It should organize the overall economic work, give unified guidance to it and establish a rigid state and administrative discipline to develop the economy of the country rapidly. It should hold its plenary meetings and the meetings of its Permanent Committee at regular intervals to take appropriate measures for resolving new and important problems arising in the administration of the state and economic work.
The commissions and ministries are departmental executive bodies of the Administration Council and central bodies for managing different sectors. Under the guidance of the Administration Council, they should guide and regulate the work in their own spheres with a sense of responsibility in accordance with their tasks and authority.
The local administrative and economic committee is the administrative and executive body of the local organ of power and the general management body of the relevant locality. It is the first and foremost task of the local administrative bodies to develop the economy and improve the people’s standard of living in their own regions. The local administrative and economic committees should organize and carry out in a responsible fashion the work of industry, construction, education, public health, welfare, local trade and other sectors by enlisting to the maximum the reserves and potential of their regions. They should display a high sense of responsibility and initiative to provide a more abundant and civilized life for the people under their authority. They should also impose strict administrative discipline and strengthen administrative supervision and regulation.
The role of judicial and procuratorial organs should be further enhanced.
Judicial and procuratorial organs are the power organs of the people’s government, which guarantee by law the execution of the policies of the Party and the state, and defend the masses’ independent and creative life from the schemes of class enemies and all other illegal machinations. It is only when these organs are consolidated and their role improved that the power and constitutional rights of the people, the socialist system and the state and social property can be stoutly defended.
Judicial and procuratorial organs should pay primary attention to ensuring, by means of law, the execution of the Party’s policies. They should wage a tough struggle against all violations of the order of administering socialist society and misappropriation and squandering of state and social property. They should defend the citizens’ rights, protect the lives and property of the people, and prevent all types of crimes and violations of the law. In cooperation with the security organs, they should wage a vigorous campaign to eliminate non-socialist deviations in all spheres of social life, so as to imbue the whole society with a moral and revolutionary tenor of life.
Special attention should be directed to improving the work of county organs of power.
County organs of power are the lowest organs of the people’s government, while the county is an all-embracing unit in the development of the local economy and culture, and the basic unit directly responsible for local economic life. When the work of these organs progresses smoothly, the counties develop and, further, the country becomes prosperous. In conformity with the immediate and long-term requirements of the building of socialism and communism, these organs should consolidate the counties and develop all the spheres of social life in a comprehensive and harmonious way. They should intensify the campaigns to win the titles of model county in observing the law, in the local budget and in forging unity between the army and the people, and other forms of model county campaigns which have already fully demonstrated their superiority and viability.
They should intensify the work in ri, dong and people’s neighbourhood units, promote the campaigns to win the titles of red-flag dong and red-flag people’s neighbourhood unit, and thus transform families in a revolutionary fashion, keep streets and villages clean and tidy, and further strengthen the social order.
The government organs in the capital and provinces should intensify their guidance over the work of the power organs in the counties, and help them in an efficient manner, so that they can well display their independence and initiative.
The people’s government organs should apply socialist democracy in a thoroughgoing manner as the only way to improve their work.
Socialist democracy is the basic mode of activity of the people’s government. This is a democracy embodying collectivism, the intrinsic nature of socialist society. It is, moreover, genuine democracy whic
Implementing the revolutionary mass line in a thoroughgoing way is a major premise for the application of socialist democracy in the activities of the people’s government organs. The revolutionary mass line is a basic principle underlying the activities of the people’s government, a principle which requires one to serve the masses sincerely and solve all problems by harnessing their inexhaustible strength. Socialist democracy is politics for and by the broad working masses. Putting the line into effect in the activities of the people’s government organs enables the broad masses to rise up purposefully and consciously for the effort to create an independent and creative life. These organs should put the people’s interests before anything else in their activities and subordinate everything to accommodating the will and demands of the masses. They should always rely on the masses’ strength and perform their tasks by drawing on that strength. Officials in these organs should take to heart the great leader Comrade
Improving the methods and style of work of the officials in the people’s government organs is an important way to apply socialist democracy.
What is important these days for them to improve their methods and style of work is to get rid of abuses of authority and bureaucratism. People’s government organs are not the ruling organs which lord it over the people and govern them; they are service organs which grant rights to the people and protect them. And the officials in them are not bureaucrats, but servants of the people. If abuse of power and bureaucratism are tolerated among the officials, the people’s interests will be violated, and the government organs rejected and forsaken by the people. Education should be intensified among officials against abuse of power and bureaucratism, and, when these deviations are laid bare, an uncompromising struggle should be conducted in time to prevent their further occurrence.
A tenacious struggle should be waged among the officials in the people’s government organs against self-centredness and the lack of a sense of responsibility. Self-centredness is a misguided ideological concept of giving preference to the interests of one’s own unit and locality over the overall interests of the Party and the country. Originating in selfis
The working system of the people’s government organs should be improved until it is perfected.
Only when it is improved continuously and finally made perfect to suit the developing realities and aspirations of the masses can the people’s government organs perform their mission and duty as servants of the people.
The proper application of democratic centralism is an important requirement for improving and perfecting the working system of government organs. The genuine political freedom and rights, and the happy life of the people are provided through the unified guidance of the people’s government, the guidance guaranteed by centralism. Only a democracy relying on centralism is a true democracy, and only a centralism whic
In addition to applying democratic centralism, the people’s government organs should fix proper norms of work and appropriate functions, and carry them out to the letter to put the running of the state on a regular footing.
A rigid legal order of the state should be established. Socialist law is a rule of conduct compulsory for all citizens and the principal weapon for the people’s government in carrying out its activities. In a socialist society there should be laws which all members of society should observe without fail in their organized life and joint activities, and they should be compulsory. All people living in the territory of the DPRK should be unconditionally subject to the laws of the state. The establis
The political and ideological levels of the officials of the people’s government organs and their practical abilities should be improved.
They are the guiding personnel of the revolution, and they are directly responsible for the work of the power organs. The success of the work of the power organs is dependent on their political and ideological levels, and practical abilities.
They should be unfailingly loyal to the Party and the leader. Such loyalty is their first and foremost characteristic. Only when they have intense loyalty to the Party and the leader can they fulfil the duty that befits the commanding personnel of revolution and construction. They should make loyalty to the Party and the leader an integral part of their faith, conscience, ethics and life, so as to make it sound, pure and absolute to the utmost degree. Their loyalty to the Party and the leader should find its expression in the practical struggle to serve the people sincerely. The sole purpose of the effort to defend and carry out the lines and policies put forward by the Party and the leader is to serve the masses; separated from this, loyalty to the Party and the leader is inconceivable. The officials in the people’s government organs should regard the people’s interests as their life and perform their duty as truly faithful and fervently filial activists in their efforts to devote their all to the people.
The officials in the people’s government organs should be equipped with an advanced ability to command and revolutionary enterprise. The developing realities demand that they become competent workers who have acquired theories and methodology for solving the problems in their respective sectors and establis
Training competent officials for the people’s government organs is an important undertaking related to the future of the government.
In training officials from a far-sig
Party organizations should provide responsible guidance to the people’s government organs to ensure thorough implementation of the Party’s lines and policies.
In this guidance, Party organizations should thoroughly implement the Taean work system, a political method suited to the intrinsic nature of socialist society. The important problems in principle arising in the execution of the Party’s lines and policies by the people’s government organs should be discussed by the relevant Party committees. Party guidance of the people’s government organs should be, to all intents and purposes, political guidance, policy-oriented guidance. While steering the people’s government organs, Party committees should refrain from taking over administrative functions, and root out subjectivism and arbitrariness among officials. Party officials should not take over administrative functions in place of the officials in the power organs. Party organizations should enhance the authority of the officials in the administrative organs in their work and provide them with working conditions in such a way that they can display independence and initiative in their work.
Party organizations should build up the ranks of the officials in the people’s government organs properly. The ranks should be manned by competent officials who are unswervingly faithful to the Party and the leader, who will serve the people devotedly, who have been trained in practical work, and who are equipped with theoretical and practical skills. Party organizations should not rest content with the building of the ranks; they should help them and lead them efficiently so that they can discharge their tasks satisfactorily. They should intensify ideological education and the struggle against outdated ideas among the officials in the power organs to train them to become true officials who devote their all for the Party and the revolution, and for their motherland and fellow citizens. They should pay particular attention to enhancing their Party spirit. By Party spirit we mean absolute devotion to the Party. Party organizations should give substantial guidance to Party life, with the main emphasis on training them in Party spirit, thus ensuring that they work loyally at their posts of honour assigned to them by the Party.
Bright is the future of our people’s government advancing under the leadership of the Party and the leader, and unshakable is the commitment of our people to defend to the last the people’s government in any adversity. Bearing deeply in mind the historic mission we have assumed for the era and the revolution, we should consolidate the people’s government, the servant of the people, and safeguard and enhance our style of socialism centred on the masses.
It is of the utmost importance to strengthen the people’s government in defending and enhancing our style of socialism, and the Party expects a great deal from the officials in the government organs.
I have a firm belief that the officials in the people’s government organs will, as in the past so in the future, discharge with a sense of responsibility the revolutionary tasks assigned to them by displaying the utmost loyalty to the Party and the leader, and sincere devotion to the people, thus bringing the advantages of our people’s government into fuller play.
