In the same week former top statistician Qiu Xiaohua was
expelled from the Chinese Communist Party and from all government
posts, the State Council has ordered a thorough investigation into
the corruption case involving former head of China's pharmaceutical
watchdog Zheng Xiaoyu.
Earlier this month, Wang Zhaoyao, ex-vice chairman of the Anhui provincial committee of the Chinese
People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), was sentenced
to death with a two-year reprieve on corruption charges.
What's more, former vice governor of Guangdong Province Liu Weiming was found to
have "seriously violated disciplines" and had been dismissed from
the National People's Congress.
The swirl of activity in the anti-graft field as the year opens
sends a very clear message that the Central Leadership of China is
NOT going to relax its combat against official corruption following
the downfall of a number of heavyweights, including former Shanghai
Party chief Chen Liangyu, in 2006.
Chen was removed from the post of secretary of the CPC Shanghai
Municipal Committee over the Shanghai social security fund scandal.
Liu Zhihua, former vice mayor of Beijing, was also expelled last
year from the CPC for abusing office and leading a "decadent"
life.
Officials told to behave themselves
The six disgraced officials mentioned above were all leaders at
or above the provincial or ministerial level who regularly made
national headlines. Local newspapers have also carried stories
about the corruption of local officials.
While still insisting that the majority of Party and government
officials are clean and honest and that the several-decade-long
anti-corruption drive is bearing fruit, the CPC watchdog, the
Central Commission for Disciplinary Inspection (CCDI), has
acknowledged that there are problems with the personal integrity of
many officials in leading positions.
Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the CPC Central
Committee, delivered an anti-corruption speech on Jan. 9 at the
CCDI plenary session with the emphasis on "enhancing cadres'
standards in all areas, ideologically, in study, in work, in
leadership and in lifestyle."
After calling on officials at all levels to follow the
traditional doctrine of serving the people, Hu went on to stress
that they must "perform their duties impartially and honestly," and
"lead an honest life."
The People's Daily, the country's flagship newspaper,
said cadres must remember that China will be a developing country
for years to come; even when the country becomes stronger and more
prosperous, the party's rank and file should "practice plain living
and avoid extravagance."
Ethics education, highlighted in Hu's speech and in People's
Daily articles, will play a bigger role in the anti-graft
drive in the years to come.
The CCDI has vowed to relentlessly expose collusion between
government officials and business people in its battle against
corruption.
The CCDI also announced its anti-graft investigations will
target officials who "purchase commercial housing at prices far
lower than market prices by taking advantage of their posts'
influence, occupy and use borrowed houses and vehicles but fail to
return them, take part in gambling or seek illicit money in
activities like gambling, seek illegal profits by using others to
invest in the stock market, or seek other forms of illegal earnings
for themselves and their family relatives."
Xu Guangchun, party chief of central China's Henan Province, told his underlings to resist
the inordinate desire for money, because "you earn decent salaries
compared with most people in our province."
He could have added that corrupt officials will lose more than
they get if they resort to illicit activities -- they will lose
their personal freedom when they are caught.
From August 2005 to June 2006, a total of 3,128 commercial
bribery cases directly involving government employees and 968
million yuan (US$121 million) were uncovered, a recent CCDI report
said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 27, 2007)