With power comes responsibility, and the use of power must be subject to oversight. Recently, the Central Military Commission issued the “Several Measures for Strengthening the Education, Management, and Supervision of Senior Military Officials,” which explicitly requires that “strict, regular, and integrated education, management, and supervision be integrated throughout the entire process of fulfilling duties and exercising power, as well as in all aspects of work and life.” To effectively implement these measures, party organizations at all levels should firmly establish the concept of comprehensive oversight management, fully establish “sensors” for monitoring the use of power, and conduct comprehensive and all-round supervision to standardize the operation of power.

“Cameras” are the front-end sensors of monitoring equipment, capable of clearly recording events within their field of view. For example, community security systems use surveillance cameras to monitor critical areas in real-time, thereby enabling the timely detection and elimination of potential safety hazards. This highlights the importance of properly equipping and utilizing “cameras” for oversight. By doing so, we can shift the focus of oversight, expand the network of monitoring, and thus better leverage the deterrent and warning functions of oversight.

The loss of oversight over power inevitably leads to corruption, and cadres who refuse to be monitored will ultimately make mistakes. Military leaders, especially senior officials, play a crucial role in advancing the cause of the Party, the country, and the military. Those in high positions must not abuse their authority, and those with significant power must not use it for personal gain. The more significant the responsibilities and the more important the positions, the more “spy cameras” need to be installed to strengthen oversight. By setting “spy cameras” throughout the process of leaders performing their duties and exercising their authority at all levels of the organization, and by ensuring real-time monitoring, timely warnings, and precise corrections, it is possible to effectively prevent leaders from violating rules and regulations and misusing their power, thereby promoting clean governance and responsible action.

Authorization is a prerequisite for governance. It is not simply a matter of distributing power; rather, it is a systematic endeavor that adheres to the principles of the rule of law, governance logic, and the principle of consistency between rights and responsibilities. Establishing and effectively utilizing “monitoring probes” can help strengthen the legal setting, rational allocation, and procedural constraints of power, thereby achieving scientific power allocation, clear delineation of responsibilities, and standardized work procedures, and promoting active engagement and responsibility among Party and government cadres.

The exercise of power is the central aspect of governance authority, and it is also a vulnerable area prone to corruption. Ensuring that power is exercised in the open requires the oversight of “spy cameras.” Party organizations at all levels need to improve their work mechanisms, which prioritize internal party supervision and integrate various types of oversight. By strengthening the principle of equal responsibilities and accountability, and by establishing control points such as approvals and reviews at key stages of power operation, we can promote transparency in the process of power exercise, thereby making it impossible for any form of hidden manipulation and arbitrary exercise of power to go undetected.

Restricting power is an important safeguard for ensuring the proper operation of power. Party organizations at all levels should establish comprehensive monitoring “sensors” before, during, and after events to ensure that supervision follows wherever power is exercised, thereby forming a comprehensive and ongoing monitoring effort. At the same time, we should make effective use of traditional methods as well as new technologies such as big data and cloud computing to eliminate blind spots in the supervision of power operations and enhance the capabilities of proactive and precise supervision.

Strictness is love, leniency is harm. Leaders at all levels should view the “monitoring probe” as a “safety valve” for fulfilling their duties and exercising authority, as well as a “preservative against corruption” for their thoughts and work style. They should proactively accept supervision, voluntarily submit to it, be willing to correct mistakes, earnestly improve their work, and habitually operate and live in an environment of oversight and constraint. By doing so, they can maintain integrity, purity, and strength within themselves, thereby inspiring and motivating the vast majority of military personnel to actively engage in strengthening the military and achieving extraordinary accomplishments. (Looking into the New Era)