Civil servant overflow

Giving more time off than the designated seven days of the Spring Festival holiday for some government departments did not simply violate the rules. It has also exposed the departments' arrogance and lack of concern for the public's interest.

Xinhua News Agency reported that some government departments have extended their holiday through yesterday (they are required to start work on Saturday) and some postponed the first work-day until March 1 after the Lantern Festival on Feb 28.

If government departments can remain shuttered for more than two weeks without affecting the public, what strikes us is not the laziness of civil servants but whether or not these departments should have been abolished as unnecessary administrative bodies.