Don't pursue feng shui with public funds

CHEN HONGPING, the former Party secretary of Jieyang city in South China's Guangdong province, who was expelled from the Party and sacked from his post two years ago for taking bribes, reportedly spent 3.5 million yuan ($564,180) of public money on a mausoleum according to feng shui principles for himself. The superstitious official even encouraged his juniors to learn more about feng shui and apply it to local urban planning. Comments:

The most noteworthy fact in Chen's case is the lack of proper supervision over some local governments it revealed; his being superstitious is secondary. His case once again shows that the power exercised by public officials may end up harming society unless it is locked in the "cage". To free officials of superstition, it is important to supervise and cage their power.

Liu Xuesong, a guest commentator with Beijing Times, April 27