Punish official for belittling people
Even four months after a government official responded improperly to a journalist's question, the investigation into the incident has not been completed. The official has been using his suspension as an excuse to avoid real punishment. Apart from being a drain on the local government's resources, the investigation is also making people lose trust in the administration, says an article in the Yangtze River Business. Excerpts:
Denying a rumor that a department director who differentiated between the government and the people in response to a journalist's question four months ago has rejoined duty without being punished, a local government in Henan province has said the official has been in "suspension for self-reflection at home".
But suspension and self-reflection are not punishment according to rules of the government or the CPC. An official suspended from duty does not necessarily suffer for his actions. Suspension is not a penalty in terms of career promotion either.
On the contrary, an official who is suspended enjoys the benefit of not performing his normal duties.
The director's suspension has been helping him stave off punishment for more than four months, and there is no sign of it ending any time soon. This attitude of the local government has started telling on public patience and trust.
The facts of the case are rather simple and easy to pass a verdict. The difficult part of the investigation is not the investigation itself, but the people conducting it. It is not difficult to decide whether the director should be punished or not. The difficult thing is the local government's choice.
Procrastinating for more than four months over such a clear case is ridiculous. The local government should clarify people's doubts immediately and act on the feedback of taxpayers, who help feed the officials.
(China Daily 10/21/2009 page9)
