The political elite are perhaps the most respected group in China and thousands of people compete for the chance to join their ranks. Generally speaking, they have every reason to be confident, but in fact, they are anything but.

Many officials are afraid of dealing with the people and are always ready to use force to solve problems. Whenever people voiced their dissatisfaction about the government or societal problems, some officials interpret this as a threat to the existing political power structure and political stability. China's regime, though, is not as fragile as they imagine. The only fragility can be found in the hearts of some officials and their lack of confidence in the regime.

They are also afraid of telling the truth and the reason for this is quite simple: They lack confidence in themselves and worry that the people will not trust them any more once the truth comes out. The phrase "the masses unaware of truth"has already entered the political lexicon, but this is rather telling: If the people are unaware of truth, isn't it the duty of officials to tell them truth?

Many officials are afraid of hearing people's opinions and believe that ulterior motives must motivate all comments, whether positive or negative. Some officials are inclined to believe that anger from the people directed at the government has most likely been "stirred up by hostile Western forces."

Some are also adept at finding fault and playing the blame game. This is also instructive, as when someone is really confident in himself, he will not care about what others think of him, let alone look to apportion blame.

In the midst of their crisis of confidence, many officials are blindly turning to folk remedies and superstitions for help, which explains the popularity of many old temples. They pray to Buddha, not for the well-being of the people, but for their own promotion prospects and wealth and some even employ "feng shui"masters to orient their offices. How ridiculous this is!

Some have already become "naked officials,"a newly-coined phrase which indicates that all of their family members have gone abroad. This phenomenon clearly shows that they have no confidence in the state, the Communist Party or the nation.

How can this pessimism and lack of confidence among the political elite be overcome?

There is no question that an improved mechanism is required for the selection and dismissal of officials. Through competition, we should ensure that only the most able and responsible candidates are chosen. The system should also ensure that those found guilty of malpractice are immediately dismissed.

We also need to improve officials' problem-solving abilities. As social conflicts become ever more complicated and the overall education level rises, officials will only be able to cope with these changes if they improve their own abilities. As President Xi said, to address these problems we must first of all conduct ourselves honorably.

It is necessary to have a safe environment which is protected by the rule of law. Democracy and the rule of law are not only the guarantors of national stability, but also the biggest umbrellas for officials' personal safety.

It is important, too, to maintain confidence in our state, our nation and our people. There is a misconception that China is not civilized enough to implement democracy. That is totally wrong and it is a fact that the great revival of the Chinese nation cannot be achieved without democracy. As President Xi said, several generations of Chinese people have dreamed of achieving the great revival of the Chinese nation. What is the great revival of the Chinese nation? It means that we can enjoy the fruits of advanced civilization in all forms.

It is also crucial to ensure that we maintain confidence based on what we see happening around us. Since the implementation of reform and opening-up, China has made unparalleled strides in modernization and strengthening its international standing and influence. As a result, we have no reason to lose confidence, but we shouldn't be blindly optimistic. We must remain level-headed and push forward reform to unleash the country's full potential. Every Chinese person should believe that nothing can stop China's revival and development and that we are assured of a brighter future.

The author is a doctoral tutor and vice director of the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau.

This article was translated by Liu Qiang. Its original unabridged version was published in Chinese.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

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