A fight that has to be won

THE SIGNAL FROM THE FOURTH PLENUM OF the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party is clear: The Party has felt the acute need of highlighting the authority of law.

Wang Qishan, chief of the Party's anti-corruption watchdog, however, issued a grim reminder of the difficulty to make officials heed Beijing's calls. Even under the daunting pressure of the two-year crusade against power abuse, Wang conceded, rampant corruption continues.

For not a few Party officials, that the Party must "govern the country in accordance with law" is at times mistaken as they, as individuals, are masters of the law and its institution. The widespread corruption and power abuse exposed recently are proof that the rule of law is incomplete, if not impossible, unless the Party subjects itself to the scrutiny and oversight of law.