Sloppy officials face the music

"Corruption has hampered Chenzhou's economic development. But more important, it eroded public trust in local government," said Liu.

The city government sent a delegation to Shanxi province in November to learn how to prevent malpractice and corruption. Three months later, the crackdown was under way.

The rules are simple: Any official involved in workplace graft and gambling is removed from office, as are any proved to have driven drunk or taken gifts during weddings or funerals. All officials caught playing computer games or trading on the stock market during working hours are demoted.

Wang Changhong, former deputy director of Chenzhou bureau of agricultural machinery, who had been on paid leave since November, was dismissed from his post in March.

As of June 29, at least 980 officials had been punished, including 18 county-level officials and 312 at township-level. Four out of 72 dismissed officials operated at county-level, the highest level in the city government of Chenzhou.

"Less than 1,000 of 100,000 officials in Chenzhou were found to be indisciplined, indicating that most officials are good," said Liu Guangyue.

As of June 28, 518 out of 639 complaints filed with the office focused on the officials' working methods and efficiency. In each case, the government department continues its investigations until the complainant states they are satisfied with the actions taken. So far that number stands at around 390.

In 2009, only 54 percent of Chenzhou locals surveyed said they had confidence in the government's disciplinary and anti-corruption efforts. That figure rose to 81 percent in 2011, and Liu said the number is likely to rise this year too.

Long-term mission

Jiang Zhengrong, 26, was moved temporarily to the Chenzhou complaint office from Liaojiang township government in Zixing city in February.

Nine employees, all from other government departments, work in the office on a one-year deployment, returning to their original jobs once the 12 months have elapsed. According to the regulations, Jiang Zhengrong is likely to return to her old job, but that may change. "I will probably work for the office for another year, but I'm not sure," she said.

"But we are under pressure to resolve the complaints, because you know guanxi (connections) are very close in this small city. Sometimes our employees have to run checks on their own relatives or superiors at work," said Liu.

Unlike some previous anti-corruption efforts, many officials initially treated the campaign as a meteor, coming rapidly and passing swiftly. For them, any working method was justified as long as the job was done.

However, Xiang Lili, the Party chief of Chenzhou, said the movement has to last for years and no officials will be spared if they are discovered to have broken the rules.

"Our leadership is determined to keep moving toward better working methods and closer ties with the people. I believe the office will be around for a long time," said Liu Guangyue.

Meanwhile, public participation is essential to the success of the campaign. Liu said the complaint offices are unable to identify all the problems on their own, because of limited resources and finances. "So the point is that the public has to be involved in the campaign", he said.

"This campaign is like a TV drama. People will keep watching if we do things with care and a sense of responsibility. I would like it to be an appealing and valuable service to the public," Liu added.

Contact the writer at huyongqi@chinadaily.com.cn

Feng Zhiwei in Changsha contributed to this story.