|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| China This Week, Dec. 30 |
| A weekly digest of eye-catching editorials in the Chinese print media |
|
Chris Gelken (chrisg)  |
 Email Article
 Print Article
|
|
|
|
Published 2008-12-30 17:01 (KST) |
|
|
|
Corruption has been acknowledged as a major problem in China, and Chinese newspapers are at the forefront of a national campaign to expose financial sleaze and keep government officials honest.
Rooting Out Corruption
 |
TODAY'S TOP STORIES |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
FROM THE SECTION |
|
|
|
|
| Recent Internet reports about the extravagant tastes of a provincial government official raised the ire of netizens visiting chat-rooms and message boards, and the story was picked up by the nationally available Workers' Daily.
Apparently the real-estate bureau chief in Nanjing had made some controversial remarks about property developers, and his usually obscure office was suddenly besieged by scores of television and newspaper journalists.
Sharp-eyed Internet users reading the story online noticed the mid-level government official was sporting a very expensive looking watch, and smoking a brand of cigarettes that cost well more than a day's pay for an average worker.
The hapless official, who really should have kept a lower profile, was later seen climbing into a luxury car.
The Workers' Daily said the public is rightfully very concerned when they witness the lifestyles of the rich and soon to be infamous, naturally assuming they must be on the take.
The paper noted that Chinese government officials have seen an increase in pay and benefits in recent years, but certainly not on the scale that would allow them such an extravagant standard of living.
The influential daily urged the government to introduce a wealth and assets declaration system for government officials nationwide, and allow for the investigation of both officials and their families.
The Nanjing official was later arrested and is now being questioned by police on suspicion of taking bribes and influence peddling.
Picture Power
A photograph taken during a recent government meeting caught many of the participants with their chins on their chest, fast asleep, while the speaker droned on with what the China Youth Daily described as a lengthy speech full of empty talk.
The paper said the picture was a clear illustration of the inefficiency of many government meetings. Participants, the paper said, get bored and fall asleep because of overlong, monotonous speeches full of nonsense, cliches and meaningless slogans.
The paper said the speeches are not really intended for the ears of those present, but rather for their superiors who are conspicuously absent.
The daily called on speakers to discard hollows words, rhetoric and stereotyped expressions, limit their time on the podium, and try to involve the audience in an interactive and creative question and answer session.
This will improve efficiency, the paper said, and give participants something else to do other than doze off.
Poverty as a Legal Loophole
China's Supreme People's Court has approved an amendment that offers convicted drug traffickers an opportunity to avoid the death penalty, if they can prove that it was poverty that drove them to criminal activity.
The move has sparked heated debate in legal circles with suggestions that the measure damages the principle that 'all are equal before the law'.
The Beijing Youth Daily, however, took an opposite view. The paper said the amendment demonstrates what it called "the humanity of state power toward common citizens."
The newspaper argued that the authority of law should not only embody the power to punish criminals, but also demonstrate a moral obligation to help the weak.
The commentary said state power should properly protect people's civil rights, especially the right to enjoy, at the very least, a subsistence level standard of living.
It said if people turned to criminal activity because of extreme poverty, then the state bears some responsibility and it is reasonable that the punishment should reflect the circumstances.
|
|
 |
|
| First publication Ohmynews |
|
|
©2008 OhmyNews
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Comments Note: Kindly refrain from personal attacks and profanity. |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
How worried are you about the H1N1 influenza virus? |
|
 |
| * Vote to see the result. |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RSS
Del.icio.us
Digg 
reddit
Y! MyWeb
.jpg)
