Home » Opinion » Chinese Views
'Cage' of regulations to check power and hem in corrupt cadres
Source: Xinhua |
January 25, 2013, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINESE leader Xi Jinping's latest statement on fighting corruption has triggered heated discussion among experts and the public.
Xi, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), on Tuesday told the Party's disciplinary arm that the Party will unswervingly fight corruption and work to restrain official power.
The most quoted phrase from Xi's speech was "Power should be restricted by a cage of regulations," which some believe is connected with theories of classic Western political philosophers.
Xi explained that such a cage refers to sound disciplinary, prevention and guarantee mechanisms to ensure that people do not dare to, are not able to and cannot easily commit corrupt acts.
Real estate tycoon Ren Zhiqiang wrote on Sina Weibo that identifying weaknesses in the current system will help direct future reforms. Restricting power should be implemented by limiting the government's interference in the market, the enforcement of law, the distribution of resources and the freedom of speech, Ren wrote.
Xi also reminded officials in his speech that no one can enjoy absolute power outside of the law and that anyone who exercises power must "consciously accept supervision by the people."
Transparency is key
The key to a workable mechanism is transparency in the government's operation, said a report on news portal yicai.com citing legal expert Li Shaozhang from the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law.
Transparency should be boosted regarding the disclosure of officials' and their relatives' assets, as well as public finance and personnel management.
Xi reiterated that the fight against corruption will be a long-term, complicated and arduous task and that anti-corruption efforts must be consistent. Huang Weiding, a researcher from Qiushi, the official magazine of the CPC Central Committee, agreed that corruption cannot be eradicated in a short time.
The consistency and persistency of anti-corruption efforts not only represent the CPC's resolution to rule itself strictly, but can also consolidate public confidence in combating corruption, said Huang.
Judicial trial
In 2012, 4,698 officials at the county level or higher were punished by the CPC's disciplinary body, while 961 officials were transferred to judicial bodies for trial, according to CPC's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
Among them were Liu Zhijun, former minister of railways, Huang Sheng, former vice governor of east China's Shandong Province, and Tian Xueren, former vice governor of northeast China's Jilin Province. Their cases have been transferred to judicial organs. Nearly 73,000 people were punished for corruption or dereliction of duty in 2012.
Experts also highlighted Xi's call for a better working style among Party members.
"Undesirable practices, if unaddressed, will evolve to become an invisible wall that separates the CPC from the people," Xi said, urging all Party organs and members to make more efforts to be frugal, oppose ostentation and reject hedonism and extravagance.
Professor Wang Yukai at the Chinese Academy of Governance said studies of previous corruption cases have shown that the majority of cases stemmed from a poor working style.
"Xi's speech revealed a close connection between the improvement of working styles and the fight against corruption," Wang said. A December 4, 2012, meeting of the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee led to eight regulations to fight bureaucracy and formalism, curb extravagance and improve officials' work styles.
Xi, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), on Tuesday told the Party's disciplinary arm that the Party will unswervingly fight corruption and work to restrain official power.
The most quoted phrase from Xi's speech was "Power should be restricted by a cage of regulations," which some believe is connected with theories of classic Western political philosophers.
Xi explained that such a cage refers to sound disciplinary, prevention and guarantee mechanisms to ensure that people do not dare to, are not able to and cannot easily commit corrupt acts.
Real estate tycoon Ren Zhiqiang wrote on Sina Weibo that identifying weaknesses in the current system will help direct future reforms. Restricting power should be implemented by limiting the government's interference in the market, the enforcement of law, the distribution of resources and the freedom of speech, Ren wrote.
Xi also reminded officials in his speech that no one can enjoy absolute power outside of the law and that anyone who exercises power must "consciously accept supervision by the people."
Transparency is key
The key to a workable mechanism is transparency in the government's operation, said a report on news portal yicai.com citing legal expert Li Shaozhang from the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law.
Transparency should be boosted regarding the disclosure of officials' and their relatives' assets, as well as public finance and personnel management.
Xi reiterated that the fight against corruption will be a long-term, complicated and arduous task and that anti-corruption efforts must be consistent. Huang Weiding, a researcher from Qiushi, the official magazine of the CPC Central Committee, agreed that corruption cannot be eradicated in a short time.
The consistency and persistency of anti-corruption efforts not only represent the CPC's resolution to rule itself strictly, but can also consolidate public confidence in combating corruption, said Huang.
Judicial trial
In 2012, 4,698 officials at the county level or higher were punished by the CPC's disciplinary body, while 961 officials were transferred to judicial bodies for trial, according to CPC's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
Among them were Liu Zhijun, former minister of railways, Huang Sheng, former vice governor of east China's Shandong Province, and Tian Xueren, former vice governor of northeast China's Jilin Province. Their cases have been transferred to judicial organs. Nearly 73,000 people were punished for corruption or dereliction of duty in 2012.
Experts also highlighted Xi's call for a better working style among Party members.
"Undesirable practices, if unaddressed, will evolve to become an invisible wall that separates the CPC from the people," Xi said, urging all Party organs and members to make more efforts to be frugal, oppose ostentation and reject hedonism and extravagance.
Professor Wang Yukai at the Chinese Academy of Governance said studies of previous corruption cases have shown that the majority of cases stemmed from a poor working style.
"Xi's speech revealed a close connection between the improvement of working styles and the fight against corruption," Wang said. A December 4, 2012, meeting of the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee led to eight regulations to fight bureaucracy and formalism, curb extravagance and improve officials' work styles.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
