One after another our cities are getting tougher with beggars.

The latest city to act is Shaoxing in Zhejiang Province.

After reportedly hesitating for three months, the local authorities recently made up their mind to set up three "no-begging areas" in the city.

Shortly before Shaoxing acted, Dalian, a port city in Liaoning Province, priding itself on massive urban renovation, published an even more restrictive document outlawing begging. Currently in Dalian begging is not allowed near Party and government institutions, major transport hubs, including ports, airports and railway stations, as well as main business districts and streets.

As we pointed out last year when Beijing tried to ban begging at the city's metro stations, which was ultimately aborted as a result of unfavourable public opinion, restrictions on citizens like this are legally and morally inappropriate.

It is sad that what happened in Beijing has not had an effect, at all, on other places, setting us wondering if we all live under the same Constitution and the same ethical framework.

There is no sign that the dozen or so cities, including most noticeably Shanghai, have any intention to rethink their bans or, as almost all of them have argued, restrictions. And following in their footsteps we now see Dalian and Shaoxing.

This is a dangerous pattern that has to be broken.

This is because, as we have said, in the first place, such restrictions are against our Constitution. Since the Constitution promises all citizens freedom to act, no legislation, national or local, should set limits to this.

A person should not be deprived of such constitutional guarantees simply because he or she begs. Begging is not a crime, whether we like it or not. Nor does it constitute a threat to public security.

Almost all existing restrictions on begging are more or less based on the claim that not all beggars are worthy of sympathy, because some of them cheat or harass pedestrians.

The Shaoxing authorities say 90 per cent of the 300 or so people begging in their city were "professionals," who have made begging their way of life and capitalize on people's sympathy, and most of them pester passers-by.

Aggressive beggars and those cheating people who take pity on them are no doubt repulsive. Their behaviour is eroding society's sympathy and goodwill for the weak.

Following such logic, restrictions should be targeted at beggars' improper conduct. It is perfectly legitimate and reasonable to stipulate that begging should in no case include harassment or cheating.

But all these restrictive rules seem more concerned about keeping beggars beyond the sight of ordinary people. Whether it is spoken or not, there is a shared concern about image. In the eyes of image-sensitive authorities and their supporters, beggars are stains on their faces.

Driving beggars to the backstreets, however, is not the solution. It is, in fact, an act of hypocrisy.

In spite of the eye-catching signs of wealth and prosperity in cities like Shanghai, the scope of poverty remains broad and wide in our country. People who beg for a living, except perhaps those who have turned begging into a profession and take advantage of people's kindness, would not take to the streets unless they were truly in difficulty.

Expelling beggars is self-deceptive because poverty does not vanish just because people no longer beg in front of our eyes.

Instead of concealing this problem, officials should squarely face the reality and pay more attention to poverty alleviation. At the very least, they should make sure that the State-sponsored relief system is functioning well in their area of jurisdiction.

It is often the case that people end up begging in the streets because they are denied the government assistance they deserve. That they finally resorted to begging, rather than stealing or robbing, shows they still believe that they can live on people's sympathy. The bans on begging will take that hope away from them.

A government discriminating against the poor cannot be a good government.

Nor should we cold-shoulder society's underprivileged.

When the government makes a mistake, the public has a responsibility to speak out and see to it that the damage is undone.

This is necessary if we want a harmonious society.

(China Daily 05/23/2005 page4)