Editorials

Whose responsibility is it?

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-12 07:52

In commenting on the national food quality watchdog's liabilities in the reemergence of melamine-tainted dairy products, a former official with the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine gave this answer: It was not all the watchdog's fault.

That answer sounded unsettling to many who worry about food safety in this country. Had those in charge of overseeing food quality been more diligent in their duties, our foods would not have been contaminated to such an extent. This is why we felt that the administration deserved it when its former chief resigned for the melamine scandals.

But anger should not blind us from the truth. There was an oft-ignored truth in the former official's reply - his institution alone cannot guarantee what we eat and drink is safe because it is only one of many agencies in charge.

The truly worrisome aspect of the story, however, as is true in all scandals where liabilities are attributed to multiple agencies, is that there is no conclusion as to who should be responsible for what.

We can understand why the administration feels slighted. It was more or less a scapegoat for the awkward division of work among responsible authorities. For one thing, even after the deadly Sanlu scandal, people still have difficulty finding out exactly how many government offices are responsible for food safety.

Without that knowledge, there is no basis for pointing the finger. And without placing liabilities on someone, there is no way to regulate the regulators. Was that the intended outcome of our system designers?

(China Daily 03/12/2010 page9)