for promotion. ‘‘No Party members will be promoted if they are not
qualified professionally and technically,’’ and that cadres must be
hired in their own field of expertise (Deng, 1992 : 268). In his speech,
‘‘Questions concerning cadres of the party in power’’ (Deng, 1992 :
297–302), he addressed the need for cadres to be de-posted and
demoted for fear of strain by an unnecessarily large number of cadres
and for fear of the formation of cliques. He recommended cadre
transfer of 5 percent yearly to prevent the formation of cliques that
might hamper governmental efficiency (Deng,1992: 298). He empha-
sized the importance of systematic and careful evaluation of cadres.
In his speech, ‘‘On reform of the political structure’’ (Deng, 1994 :
178–181), Deng advocated the abolition of lifelong tenure of govern-
ment functionaries and encouraged senior leaders to retire. For the
purpose of greater equity and efficiency, he introduced civil service
examinations to replace seniority as the criterion for cadre hire and
promotion. Deng thus emphasized the importance of an efficient,
able, and vital government. He said, ‘‘Only with a vigorous leadership
that has eliminated bureaucratism, raised efficiency and mobilized the
grass-roots units and the rank and file can we have real hope of success
in our modernization drive’’ (Deng, 1994 : 181).
Although the success of Deng’s reformism is too obvious for the
world to ignore, some scholars also draw attention to the negative side
of, or challenges to, his reforms. Harding ( 1997 ), for instance, believes
that Deng’s policy had too much emphasis on economic development
thereby producing serious inflation and potential political unrest.
Officials in the CCP with a Maoist mentality challenged Deng’s
reformism as a deviation from time-honored socialism, widening the
gap between the rich and the poor. Those wishing for more political
freedom claimed Deng’s reforms were inadequate and contributed
little to political change (Harding, 1997 ).
Deng’s pragmatism
‘‘Black or white, a cat is nice as long as it catches the mice’’ is perhaps the
best-known statement by Deng Xiaoping (Li, 1994 : 607). This remark
encapsulates Deng’s pragmatism. He was a man focused on results
rather than means, on practicality rather than ostentation (Li, 1994 ).
In contrasting Mao’s and Deng’s eras, Bergmann ( 1993 ) character-
ized Deng’s leadership as reform-oriented and pragmatic. The conflict
224 Xin-an Lu and Jie Lu