Tougher supervision needed over computer habits of civil servants

The government disciplinary authority must supervise the office behaviors of civil servants and force them to take their duties seriously, said an article in the Southern Metropolis Daily (excerpts below).

It is necessary for the disciplinary authority to use new technologies to monitor civil servants' computer use. Their misconduct and neglect of duties must be addressed.

The disciplinary committee of the Guangzhou city government monitored civil servants' use of their office computers in 11 departments. Some checked the stock market, watched TV shows and films and played online games during work hours.

Seven of the 11 said those misusing computers were employed as drivers.

The authority should conduct an inspection on the departments to determine if too many drivers are employed with taxpayer money.

Statistics show that there were more than 7 million civil servants employed in 2012, not including government-sponsored public affairs positions.

The government vows to streamline its structure and personnel each year. But it is a fact that civil servant positions have become more and more redundant in various levels of the government.

The central government should learn from the disciplinary practices in Guangzhou city and increase supervision of civil servants.

The central government should also disclose computer monitoring results regularly, so the public can use them as reference to downsize the Chinese government system.