OPINION> Commentary
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OPINION> Commentary
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Winning public trust
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-15 07:37 Selecting right officials for right positions makes a difference to honest and efficient governance. And the role of the general public in effective supervision is an imperative in this process. But there is a lack of concrete measures to implement this supervision. The public opinion poll designed by the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and to be conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics is meant to find out in what degree the general public is contented with the officials that have been selected by the Party organizational departments at various levels and with the way they are selected. The sample survey will be conducted among some 80,000 people at different levels from central government departments to grassroots villages. The questionnaire is designed to solicit suggestions from the surveyed about how government officials should be selected in a more democratic manner.
This is the right thing to do to get a clear picture of how the public looks at the officials and the way they are promoted or demoted. Repeated uncovering of cases involving the selling of ranks and titles for personal gains suggests that this poll is not only necessary but should have come much earlier. Hopefully, this poll to be conducted annually will mark a change in the way of selecting government officials. The closed-door examination of candidates for public positions leaves loopholes for under-the-table manipulations and corruption. It is this particular corruption that has eroded the credibility of both the Party and the government. That the mass riot in Weng'an of Guizhou province was triggered by popular distrust of a police autopsy report should be a reminder of how serious the lack of credibility can be for a government. It may take years for a government to build sound credibility among the general public, but it is easy to lose it because of dishonest and corrupt government officials. So it is of vital importance to put in government positions officials who are trusted by the people rather than those favored only by their superiors. And a supervision mechanism is also needed to oversee that the right people placed in public positions are not corrupted by power in their hands. Obviously, it is a thorny job and will take time. But it is something that must be done. This public opinion poll is a big step forward in the right direction. (China Daily 07/15/2008 page8) |
