Cage power with effective mechanism

Party chief Xi Jinping emphasized that China should hit both "tigers" and "flies" in its fight against graft, and powers must be caged in an effective mechanism. His words reflect the new leadership's resolve to fight power abuses, says an editorial the 21st Century Business Herald. Excerpts:

One woman in her 20s whose father is director of a district-level housing authority in Henan province has two residence permits and owns dozens of government-subsidized houses, which are supposed to aid poor people.

One businesswoman operating coal mines in Shaanxi province in her 40s boasts of four residence permits and more than 20 houses in Beijing and Shaanxi worth about $150 million.

Residence permits, especially in big cities, are hard to come by for migrant workers and have become an effective, though controversial, means for the government to control the population's moves from rural areas to the city.

But this residence-permit system was used by the two women to get as many houses as possible. The government-subsidized houses even became private property of officials' families.

If Bo Xilai's case is a tiger, the two women are just flies. But all of these cases, with their obvious links with corrupted power, show that China does not have an effective mechanism to combat corruption yet. The struggle has long been a case-by-case style and gives the public the impression that China's corruption has not been effectively contained at all.

Xi hit the nail on the head by saying that China needs to establish a mechanism to cage the powers, deterring officials from abusing their authority.

Prevention is the crux of the fight against corruptions. Prevention cannot be done with human powers but the system with effective supervision, high transparency and a balance of power.

All kinds of resources and powers concentrate in the hand of the government. The progress of China's combat with corruption rests with the reform of Chinese government and judicial system.

Xi knows it. Yet much still depends on whether he can put his pertinent words into concrete action.