Protect whistleblower

A taxi driver in Guangzhou who revealed a taxi company's unreasonable charges to the local authority has ended up as a beggar. It's a shameful injustice, says an article in China Youth Daily. Excerpts:

What the driver surnamed Wang has revealed seems to be a hidden rule: taxi drivers not only have to pay the taxi companies huge fees every month, they also have to pay thousands of yuan as "tea fees" just to get a contract.

Wang was soon fired by his company and after the local transportation authority refused to hear his appeal, he jumped from a wall outside the transportation authority's building and broke his leg.

In fact, the problem Wang exposed has helped to expose corruption in the operations of taxi companies, so one cannot help asking why the driver has been ill-treated by his company and the local transportation authorities couldn't help him.

For whatever reason Wang was fired by the company, it's an unavoidable responsibility for local authorities to protect Wang's rights and interests against unreasonable and unfair treatment.

In addition, a thorough investigation should be launched on the "tea fees", rather than let the issue fade away with only one corruption case. Whether it's an isolated case or organized corruption, the truth should be revealed to the public.

The current situation Wang faces, if not addressed by the authorities, will encourage more unreasonable and illegal deeds. Social justice needs more people like Wang to stand out and support it, and the government must fulfill its duty to protect them.

(China Daily 06/26/2012 page9)