(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-17 07:18

The civil servants asset reporting system should be introduced as early as possible, says an article in Beijing Youth Daily. The following is an excerpt:

On the establishment of the national bureau of corruption prevention, Qu Wanxiang, the deputy head, said a national system would be set up to require civil servants to declare personal assets when the time is proper.

Under the system, civil servants at all levels would have to report to a special department their salary incomes, investments, inherited property, gifts and other assets. The reports would be open to public scrutiny.

Many have been calling for the introduction of such a system as an efficient weapon to check corruption. Qu's remarks on Thursday should be taken as a formal response to these calls.

The system will definitely help in national efforts against graft, and the technical support, finance, media and public supervision required is not complicated.

Some have said the reporting procedure would be too time-consuming and would add to the administrative workload.

But these concerns should not be the standards to judge whether the time is right for the introduction of such system. The earlier it is introduced, the better.

Most of our civil servants are honest and reliable. They would definitely support the system's early introduction rather than delay it. Only those involved in graft would fear it.

Now that all conditions are in place, the corruption prevention bureau should introduce the system as early as possible.

(China Daily 09/17/2007 page4)