Shamed city reels from another fiasco
Source: Xinhua |
November 7, 2012, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE government of a central China city has been left red-faced again just as it was trying to restore its reputation from the shame of not providing desks for students at public schools. This time, some of its officials were found to have given false e-mail addresses to the public.
The government of Macheng, in Hubei Province, recently asked all major officials to publicize their e-mail addresses on the government website in a bid to strengthen ties with the public.
This, the government felt, was a good way for officials to communicate with the public and listen to their opinions. But people were surprised to discover that 11 of the e-mail addresses left on the website did not exist.
Releasing fake addresses meant the officials were reluctant or not willing to communicate with people, let alone listen to their views and help them through difficulties.
Their behavior defied the good intentions of the government to boost relations with the public and damaged people's trust in the authorities.
It seems they did not learn their lesson from a school desk scandal in September, when 3,000 primary school students in Shunhe Town were forced to carry desks and chairs from their homes to school due to a shortage of supplies.
The incident sparked an uproar over the government's ignorance of rural children's basic needs. Its image was left in tatters even though it raised 5 million yuan (US$792,619) to buy the furniture for the children soon after the scandal was exposed.
Publicizing the officials' e-mail addresses was a good chance for the government to regain trust. The officials should not have taken it as a formal assignment but as an opportunity to maintain close contact with citizens and help them solve their problems. It was also a golden chance for them to listen to people's comments on the government's work and make improvements accordingly. However, their sheer indifference to the public's needs has smeared the government's image.
In July last year, President Hu Jintao, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, warned that the Party is in growing danger of becoming divorced from the people.
The government of Macheng, in Hubei Province, recently asked all major officials to publicize their e-mail addresses on the government website in a bid to strengthen ties with the public.
This, the government felt, was a good way for officials to communicate with the public and listen to their opinions. But people were surprised to discover that 11 of the e-mail addresses left on the website did not exist.
Releasing fake addresses meant the officials were reluctant or not willing to communicate with people, let alone listen to their views and help them through difficulties.
Their behavior defied the good intentions of the government to boost relations with the public and damaged people's trust in the authorities.
It seems they did not learn their lesson from a school desk scandal in September, when 3,000 primary school students in Shunhe Town were forced to carry desks and chairs from their homes to school due to a shortage of supplies.
The incident sparked an uproar over the government's ignorance of rural children's basic needs. Its image was left in tatters even though it raised 5 million yuan (US$792,619) to buy the furniture for the children soon after the scandal was exposed.
Publicizing the officials' e-mail addresses was a good chance for the government to regain trust. The officials should not have taken it as a formal assignment but as an opportunity to maintain close contact with citizens and help them solve their problems. It was also a golden chance for them to listen to people's comments on the government's work and make improvements accordingly. However, their sheer indifference to the public's needs has smeared the government's image.
In July last year, President Hu Jintao, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, warned that the Party is in growing danger of becoming divorced from the people.
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