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Letters and Blogs
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-26 07:41 Avoid darkness under the light Recently, a campaign against "small coffers" or off-book accounts of the public sector has been launched. This is the third time since reform and opening up that this kind of attempt is put into practice in order to prohibit the public sector and State-owned enterprises from misusing public funds. Learning from the previous campaigns, we need to carefully heed the scenario of "darkness under the light", i.e. lax inspection of the departments close to the power center. During earlier attempts to prohibit "small coffers", though great achievements have been made, many problems remained. In some areas, for example, strict inspections were carried out in State-owned enterprises. But checks on the government institutions were mostly conducted in a perfunctory way, especially when it came to the financial and justice departments. This privilege enjoyed by government institutions has made them a hotbed for corruption, which not only led to losses of public money, but also impaired the authorities' credibility. To avoid the problems mentioned above, the following suggestions may be considered. First, the government should strengthen the accountability system, clarify the responsibilities of the public institutions and personnel in charge, and enhance cooperation. Second, it requires substantial efforts at all levels of government to guarantee that inspections are carried out without compromises. Third, to mop up the sources of "small treasuries" is the most efficient and effective way. It is high time that the government deepens reform of financial administration. Zhang Yexiu http://blog.suqian.gov.cn/?uid-4585-action-viewspace-itemid-5788 Consider benefits of local people Some of the country's most famous tourist attractions have raised their prices, as they anticipate more tourists during the coming National Day holidays. The increase in fees, if inevitable, should first be used to benefit local residents.It is acceptable for tourist attractions, which are running in the market economy, to turn into profit-making players and adjust rates according to demands. Moreover, the adjustment of the rates is designed to better protect the attractions by restricting tourist flows. The only controversy here is whether local people can benefit from them? As is known, most tourist attractions in China are located in remote and impoverished rural areas. The development of tourism in these regions is of great importance for improving people's living conditions. Potential conflicts may emerge if the local authorities fail to improve people's living conditions, which should be taken into consideration by the government. Xuan Huahua http://jiangauthor.blog.sohu.com/129448785.html (China Daily 08/26/2009 page8) |
