Power corrupts: An adage revisited

With so many senior officials recently falling to the lure of lucre, it becomes difficult to accept that vice lies only with individual greed.

Pi Qiansheng, an official of vice-ministerial rank in Tianjin, was seen as a front-ranking soldier of reform and opening up. But a week ago the 58-year-old former boss of Binhai New Area, a development zone and economic powerhouse, was expelled from the CPC for "serious violation of discipline and law". He had already been stripped of his post two years ago.

Pi is an example of how greed and unrestrained power can ruin an otherwise competent official. He used to be a factory worker and soldier before entering Nankai University, from where he got a PhD degree in economics. He served the Binhai New Area for two decades, and was among those who laid a solid foundation for the zone.

Journalists who interviewed him earlier say Pi used to be open-minded, eloquent and media-savvy, and even spoke good English. How could such a person bury his ideals for a fistful of yuan? Unfettered power, perhaps. Or may be his belief in "forceful leadership". Or both.

During the early 1990s, Pi was the leader of four bureaus at the same time, and in charge of every aspect of urban planning and housing projects. But greater power awaited him as the boss of the economic zone. Like so many other officials, he must have enjoyed the influence he could exert with so many resources at his disposal. However, not many of them could remain cool-headed about the risk that is almost certain to go with unchecked power.

The fall of Pi and former Shenzhen mayor Xu Zongheng reflects a trend: leading figures of reform and opening up falling to corruption. These officials may have contributed to the economy. But they want much more than their salaries, which they don't think was commensurate with their caliber. So they left a dirty trail, although they were expected to be examples of honesty and commitment.

Corruption is not a one-off affair. As Yu Zhendong, the Guangdong banker accused of embezzling millions of dollars, admitted: "Once you get the ball of corruption rolling, it's beyond your control".

Many officials have taken the dive in the vortex of greed because they thought they could get away with a slice of the forbidden pie. But they didn't realize once they bit into it, they'd keep going for more until they were exposed. All this makes one see that corruption has also to do with the loopholes in the system.

So what we need is an effective system that balances power and ensures foolproof supervision. One way of ensuring honesty and order is to put officials under rigorous supervision if they want to have a successful career. It will limit their official power. But it will also make them safe in the system - as will the public.

Pi's tragedy is that of many other corrupt but capable officials of the times. They believe being an official is the most profitable career. And in an unchecked system they grab as much booty as the abuse of their post could offer until they crumble on exposure. With their competence, they could have fared better by choosing another career.

(China Daily 06/25/2009 page8)