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Mediators harm morals in deal to silence mistress
A PEOPLE'S mediation committee has done a disservice and harmed public morality by facilitating a "hush money" agreement between an official and his estranged mistress.
Liu Xiaofeng, director of a tax bureau in Hunan Province, was in a relationship since 2005 with Lin Fang, whom he met online. The two had been living together since 2007, while Liu was still married. Liu and his wife were divorced in 2010.
Liu's extramarital affair during the four years amounted to keeping a mistress.
Last month, Liu and Lin signed a so-called "split-up" agreement facilitated by a local people's mediation committee. Liu was required to pay Lin 230,000 yuan (US$38,000) in exchange for her silence.
As a cadre of the Communist Party of China, Liu ought to be punished since keeping a mistress violates Party discipline. Mediating the relationship between the two was an attempt to conceal the disciplinary violation and protect the violator.
Beyond that, maintaining a mistress can be construed as a possible sign of corruption. Liu gave at least 430,000 yuan to Lin, including the "hush money." How can a grassroots cadre afford "two families," as suggested by these large sums? The source of the money is questionable.
It is the duty of people's mediation committees to reconcile general civil and family disputes, not to smooth over the disciplinary violation of keeping a mistress, which corrupts social morality.
Liu Xiaofeng, director of a tax bureau in Hunan Province, was in a relationship since 2005 with Lin Fang, whom he met online. The two had been living together since 2007, while Liu was still married. Liu and his wife were divorced in 2010.
Liu's extramarital affair during the four years amounted to keeping a mistress.
Last month, Liu and Lin signed a so-called "split-up" agreement facilitated by a local people's mediation committee. Liu was required to pay Lin 230,000 yuan (US$38,000) in exchange for her silence.
As a cadre of the Communist Party of China, Liu ought to be punished since keeping a mistress violates Party discipline. Mediating the relationship between the two was an attempt to conceal the disciplinary violation and protect the violator.
Beyond that, maintaining a mistress can be construed as a possible sign of corruption. Liu gave at least 430,000 yuan to Lin, including the "hush money." How can a grassroots cadre afford "two families," as suggested by these large sums? The source of the money is questionable.
It is the duty of people's mediation committees to reconcile general civil and family disputes, not to smooth over the disciplinary violation of keeping a mistress, which corrupts social morality.
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