Authorities have to win back trust

The housing lot-drawing scam in Wuhan has revealed that corruption is rife in the distribution of economy houses. The incident casts a doubt on the credibility of the Wuhan local authorities, says an article in the Beijing News. Excerpt:

Unfair deals had for long been a problem with the distribution of economy houses. Though the aim of the economy housing scheme is to be help low-income families, illegal deals help the well-off to grab a large percentage of the houses.

That the recent draw of lots threw up "six consecutive numbers" as winners in the housing scheme proves the corruption chain is quite long - it extends from verifying the eligibility of candidates to the drawing of lots.