Keep anti-graft momentum

ALL THE PROBLEMS THAT AFFECT THE PARTY'S creativity, cohesion and strength must be addressed, all the ailments that are detrimental to the Party's purity and quality as the vanguard must be cured, and all the malignant tumors within the Party must be removed. These remarks by Party leader Xi Jinping, in a speech on National Day, may be taken as evidence of the leadership's continued resolve to root out corruption.

Yet the more corruption that is uncovered, the more severe the situation may seem to the public.

It is natural for some to question whether the campaign will be able to get rid of all the corrupt elements and whether a mechanism can be established to make it difficult for those with power to abuse it. It is also understandable that some question whether the crackdown on corrupt officials is selective.

But apart from 49 ministerial-level or above officials who have either been placed under investigation or indicted, a campaign against unhealthy tendencies has made 100,000 officials hand in 520 million yuan ($83 million) which they received as gifts. This campaign has cut the expenditures on government vehicles, receptions and overseas trips by a fourth from June 2013 until September this year. This action has also removed more than 162,000 phantom government employees all over the country.

The message is that the central authorities are doing all they can to clean up the Party and the government.

However, the more successful such thorough and forceful actions are, the more corrupt the Party and government appear to be. With the fight going even further, sometimes a dozen or more corrupt elements in the same government department end up being investigated for abuse of power, as one rotten apple can spoil others in a barrel.

While the growing number of corrupt officials brought to justice are the trophies for the ongoing anti-corruption campaign, they are also the brushes some are using to smear the reputation of both the Party and the government.

Yet, no matter how malicious these attacks may be, the leadership's zero-tolerance to corruption will become increasingly obvious and welcomed by the public, since it is undeniable that the Party and government will be healthier and sounder in performing their duties with the removal of as many corrupt elements as possible. And this in turn will boost people's confidence and hopes for the future of this nation.