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Public funds build lavish offices after Sichuan quake
By Xinhuanet |
April 24, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE national audit office recently released a report about last year's rebuilding work in Sichuan Province, which was hit by a mega-quake in 2008.
The report detailed many transgressions, in particular the repeated construction of luxury office buildings.
It's one thing to build sturdier houses after the earthquake, which is necessary and understandable. But it's quite another to build stately mansions for personal comforts.
According to national standards, offices for ministerial-level officials should be no bigger than 54 square meters, while those for county chiefs have a maximum surface area of 20 square meters.
Nonetheless, in Santai County, one of the stricken areas, the biggest unit of government offices occupies 66 square meters, dwarfing that of a ministerial-level cadre. This outrageous excess is an insult to whoever chips in to support the reconstruction efforts.
More disturbing is the fact that while some officials now have posh offices, a primary school in Guangyuan City is shoddily rebuilt: its ground is uneven and riddled with cracks. Puddles are everywhere.
Restrictions on the size of office buildings are aimed at checking profligacy and corruption. The Party's disciplinary watchdog and other relevant authorities had set clear regulations as early as July 4 mandating the frugal use and better supervision of reconstruction funds.
So why are a few officials in the quake-hit areas keen on erecting ostentatious government headquarters?
One obvious reason is the impulse to leave their mark and their unquenchable thirst for comforts.
Another reason might be the over-concentration of administrative power and exclusion of the public from significant decision-making.
It carries little price for offenders to embezzle public funds to build lavish edifices. Therefore, aside from punishing erring officials, watchdogs must also act proactively, by strengthening oversight on the use of taxpayers' money.
The report detailed many transgressions, in particular the repeated construction of luxury office buildings.
It's one thing to build sturdier houses after the earthquake, which is necessary and understandable. But it's quite another to build stately mansions for personal comforts.
According to national standards, offices for ministerial-level officials should be no bigger than 54 square meters, while those for county chiefs have a maximum surface area of 20 square meters.
Nonetheless, in Santai County, one of the stricken areas, the biggest unit of government offices occupies 66 square meters, dwarfing that of a ministerial-level cadre. This outrageous excess is an insult to whoever chips in to support the reconstruction efforts.
More disturbing is the fact that while some officials now have posh offices, a primary school in Guangyuan City is shoddily rebuilt: its ground is uneven and riddled with cracks. Puddles are everywhere.
Restrictions on the size of office buildings are aimed at checking profligacy and corruption. The Party's disciplinary watchdog and other relevant authorities had set clear regulations as early as July 4 mandating the frugal use and better supervision of reconstruction funds.
So why are a few officials in the quake-hit areas keen on erecting ostentatious government headquarters?
One obvious reason is the impulse to leave their mark and their unquenchable thirst for comforts.
Another reason might be the over-concentration of administrative power and exclusion of the public from significant decision-making.
It carries little price for offenders to embezzle public funds to build lavish edifices. Therefore, aside from punishing erring officials, watchdogs must also act proactively, by strengthening oversight on the use of taxpayers' money.
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