Distribute houses fairly among the poor

Government-subsidized houses must not become a bonus for civil servants. The distribution of the houses must be transparent and open to public scrutiny, said an article in Southern Metropolis Daily (excerpts below).

Government-subsidized houses are built for low-income people. However, the houses are first assigned to "civil servants in economic difficulty" working for the government of Heyuan in Guangdong province.

According to the government, these workers and their family members do not have houses in the downtown area of the city and are classified in the group of people experiencing "difficulty".

Considering the high price of housing, the low-price houses subsidized by the government are important public services and products for poor people who meet the application requirements, but not for civil servants and their families in "difficulty".

If such housing become a bonus for civil servants, the government will lose its credibility.

The central government should establish a system checking the qualifications of low-price house owners and punish any who forged documents to apply for or obtain such houses illegally.

The distribution of the government-subsidized houses must be made transparent and available to public scrutiny.