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Drunk on power

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-05 07:56

Wild acts by some officials are due not to the stimulus of alcohol but rather to their long-held arrogance derived from unchecked power, said an article in Guangzhou Daily. The following is an excerpt:

It's known that one speaks the truth over the cups. Some may also talk wildly after they get drunk. The story of Lin Jiaxiang, an official who allegedly molested a girl child recently in Shenzhen, is a case in point.

When quarreling with the parents of the victim, Lin, Party chief of Shenzhen marine affairs bureau, blurted out: "I am an official dispatched by the Ministry of Transport. I hold the same high-ranking post as your mayor. How dare you find my fault!"

Lin argued later that he couldn't remember anything that happened at that moment because he was drunk.

It's sure wine can make a normal person lose his mind and act disgustingly. But Lin's superior did not buy it. He was sacked by the ministry, according to media reports on Monday.

In fact, quite a number of Lin's official peers have done similar wild things in the past.

Take this year for example. An official in Sichuan province slapped an old wine seller on the cheek during a quarrel with him; a safety bureau chief in Zhangzhou, Fujian province, humiliated and beat a woman after getting drunk, causing her to be hospitalized.

All of them have resorted to alcohol as the excuse for their nasty acts. But from their wild actions and words, we can get to the root of their runaway behavior.

On the surface, the arrogance of these officials shows only after they get drunk. But in fact, what they said and did under the influence of alcohol is the mirror of their true nature.

These officials have put on the same arrogant airs in their daily work and life - with political power in their hands, they are accustomed to standing on a high pedestal while holding others in contempt and believing they can get everything done with money and power.

Without the help of spirits, people wouldn't have linked inhuman acts such as molestation of a young girl in a toilet to any officials.

People are wondering what has really turned officials like Lin wild. If the power in their hands is the source, it means there are loopholes in our supervision system. If their nature is to blame, it means our nation's selection procedures of officials need improvement.

(China Daily 11/05/2008 page8)