党要管党，一管党员，二管干部。
The Party must exercise control over itself, over its members and its cadres.
有一部分干部可以到下面去工作，替换一些下面的干部，让他们回到生产中去，待遇不降低。
Others can be sent to replace cadres at lower levels, who can return to production with their material benefits unchanged.
还有一部分完全不能工作的干部，索性就离开职务继续休养，或者担任一个荣誉职务。
Still others, who can no longer work at all, might just as well leave their positions for recuperation or take honorary posts.
干部能上不能下的问题现在已经成为我们工作中的障碍，虽然一下子还不能解决，要慢慢来，但是总要逐步地解决。
The fact that cadres are only prepared to be promoted and not demoted has become a hindrance to our work.
This problem cannot be solved at one stroke, but we must keep working towards a solution.
这次中央书记处开会听取组织工作汇报时，我提出干部能上能下，是不是可以试验一下，先从基层做起。
At a recent meeting held by the Secretariat of the Central Committee to hear reports on organizational work, I suggested that cadres be demoted on a trial basis, beginning with cadres at the grass-roots level.
比如，支部书记当了两届后，就回到生产中去，生产队长当了两年又回去当社员。
For example, after serving two terms in office, the secretary of a brigade Party branch may return to production, and the head of a production brigade may become an ordinary commune member again.
不是一级一级的总是上，要下，要能上能下。
Cadres should not always be promoted to higher positions.
They may be demoted and should always be ready for either a higher or a lower post,
要能领导人，又能被人领导。
and be ready to lead others and be led.
在被领导时还可以起个帮助领导的作用，老支部书记帮助新支部书记，老生产队长帮助新生产队长。
When being led, they can help the leader in the way an ex-secretary of a brigade Party branch helps a new secretary and an ex-head of a production brigade assists the new one.
过一两年又可以选他当支部书记或生产队长。
The ex-secretary or ex-head may be elected secretary or head again after leaving office for a couple of years.
相应地，在一个企业，一个学校，也可以采取这种办法。
Enterprises and schools can do the same.
这个问题，中央没有议过，我是第一次发表这个意见。
The Central Committee has not discussed this problem yet; I am the first to express an opinion about it.
在农村基层搞久了，也有缺点。
It is not good for a cadre to work at the grass-roots level in the countryside for a long time.
当上一二十年的支部书记，又是“一帮子”，他的话差不多就是“圣旨”，这对于发扬民主，贯彻执行民主集中制，都不利。
After a person has served as secretary of a production brigade Party branch for one or two decades, he forms his own clique, and what he says is taken almost as “imperial edicts”.
This hinders the promotion of democracy and the exercise of democratic centralism.
支部书记到下面当个普通党员，生产队长到下面当个普通社员，可以看看他们当支部书记或队长的时候，工作和作风究竟怎么样，这对于发扬民主有好处。
If the secretary of a production brigade Party branch is demoted to the position of an ordinary Party member or the head of a production brigade to that of an ordinary commune member, they may be able to make a clear evaluation of the work they did and the work style they displayed while in office.
This will help promote democracy.
这个问题，请你们回去跟中央局和省、市、自治区党委的领导同志交换一下意见，看是不是可以找些地方试一试。
I hope when you go back, you will discuss this method with leading comrades of the bureaus of the Central Committee and the Party committees of provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions to see if it can be tried out in a few places.
我个人考虑，可能是个好办法，至少没有坏处。
Personally, I think this may be a good way to approach the problem, and it will certainly not do us any harm.
为什么总是你领导人家，不可以被人家领导一下呀？
Why should they always lead others instead of being led?
总之，先从基层做起。
In short, we should start with cadres at the grass-roots level,
要逐步从制度上，习惯上，风气上，做到能上能下。
making it a rule that cadres be ready to take a higher or a lower post, so that everybody will become accustomed to the practice.
这一点，我们不如资本主义社会，资本主义社会是能上能下的。
In this respect, we are not doing so well as the capitalist societies, where people may be moved to higher or lower posts.
苏联怎么样，我不清楚。
I do not know what the Soviet Union is doing about it.
最近，刘少奇同志批评，对干部作鉴定好多年没有搞了。
Recently Comrade Liu Shaoqi criticized the long-term lack of appraisal of cadres' performance.
对执政党来说，党要管党，最关键的是干部问题，因为许多党员都在当大大小小的干部。
For a party in power, the heart of this matter concerns the cadres, because many of its members are working as cadres of varying ranks.