From Chinese Press

The curse of star-worshipping

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-05-13 07:58

The curse of star-worshipping

The mayor of Changde, Hunan province, went to meet Zhao Benshan, the famous folk artist, when bad weather forced the latter's chartered plane to land at Changde airport. This has made netizens' question why public resources should be used in such a way. The local government has responded by saying that the "mayor's action showed local people's love for celebrities". Though all citizens, including officials, have the right to be a fan of celebrities, they should not waste public funds to welcome stars, says an article on southcn.com. Excerpts:

There is nothing wrong in some officials attending a concert or meeting celebrities during their free hours or holidays. But the Changde mayor did not pay a visit to Zhao alone. He took other officials along, too, as is evident from the photographs taken on the occasion.

Even though the Changde mayor met with Zhao during a holiday, he had no business rushing so many government officials to welcome a star.

More important things could be revealed through information like how the officials got to the airport or who paid for Zhao's accommodation. Were they paid from public funds or did they come from the officials' pockets? If the mayor could answer these questions, the public would be relived of their doubts.

But the real problem lies in attempts to please stars at the expense of public resources in the disguise of respecting cultural celebrities.

Besides, there is need to ask the mayor whether he has equal respect for the local people who respect celebrities such as Zhao Benshan. When push comes to shove, the cost the mayor would have to pay is the loss of respect among people, especially taxpayers.

Perhaps controlling officials' power is the only way to prevent the phenomenon of star-worshipping. Otherwise, they will pursue money and other assets.

(China Daily 05/13/2011 page9)