Cold-shoulder mayor quits post
By Li Xinran |
April 30, 2010, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A MAYOR of a northeast China city has resigned after being widely criticized online for ignoring hundreds of petitioners kneeling to protest against corruption and inadequate compensation for the government's seizure of their land, local authorities said yesterday.
The people's congress in Zhuanghe City, Liaoning Province, said it approved the resignation of Mayor Sun Ming on Wednesday.
Sun had been ordered to do so by his supervisor last Saturday because of his handling of the protest by local residents on April 13.
The Communist Party of China's Dalian Committee and the Dalian government, which oversees Zhuanghe's administration, indicated that Sun mishandled the incident and was responsible for the bad effect it caused, according to Xinhua.
Dalian officials said in a statement following a meeting on Saturday that officials "must attach great importance to the reasonable demands of the masses" and "respond with enthusiasm."
Zhuanghe is a satellite town of Dalian City with a population of about 900,000.
On April 13, about 1,000 Zhuanghe residents went to the city hall demanding subsidies for land acquisitions.
They also hoped to meet higher-level authorities and ask for help dealing with local leaders who they believed were embezzling public funds, taking bribes and neglecting their duties, news reports said.
Many knelt in front of the city hall for about 30 minutes.
Despite this show of deepest respect, Sun and his colleagues didn't deign to come out and take their complaints, Xiaoxiang Morning News reported on April 21.
One villager said no officials would meet them, so they had to go down on their knees in front of the city hall to attract attention. That sparked public outrage in following days.
Liu Qinglian, an allegedly corrupt local community leader, has been removed from his post for investigation.
Authorities in Zhuanghe and Dalian are also investigating the petitioners' other allegations of corruption. Luo Dongsheng, formerly Dalian's education chief, has been appointed Zhuanghe's acting mayor.
The people's congress in Zhuanghe City, Liaoning Province, said it approved the resignation of Mayor Sun Ming on Wednesday.
Sun had been ordered to do so by his supervisor last Saturday because of his handling of the protest by local residents on April 13.
The Communist Party of China's Dalian Committee and the Dalian government, which oversees Zhuanghe's administration, indicated that Sun mishandled the incident and was responsible for the bad effect it caused, according to Xinhua.
Dalian officials said in a statement following a meeting on Saturday that officials "must attach great importance to the reasonable demands of the masses" and "respond with enthusiasm."
Zhuanghe is a satellite town of Dalian City with a population of about 900,000.
On April 13, about 1,000 Zhuanghe residents went to the city hall demanding subsidies for land acquisitions.
They also hoped to meet higher-level authorities and ask for help dealing with local leaders who they believed were embezzling public funds, taking bribes and neglecting their duties, news reports said.
Many knelt in front of the city hall for about 30 minutes.
Despite this show of deepest respect, Sun and his colleagues didn't deign to come out and take their complaints, Xiaoxiang Morning News reported on April 21.
One villager said no officials would meet them, so they had to go down on their knees in front of the city hall to attract attention. That sparked public outrage in following days.
Liu Qinglian, an allegedly corrupt local community leader, has been removed from his post for investigation.
Authorities in Zhuanghe and Dalian are also investigating the petitioners' other allegations of corruption. Luo Dongsheng, formerly Dalian's education chief, has been appointed Zhuanghe's acting mayor.
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