Wu Guangqiang

jw368@163.com

CHINA’S relentless clampdown on corruption has basically reversed the vicious trend that endangers the CPC as the ruling party of the country as well as China as a nation. Thousands of corrupt senior officials, also known as “big tigers,” along with tens of thousands of junior officials, referred to as “small flies,” have been given administrative sanctions or legal penalties.

Hedonism and extravagance once pervasive among officials at various levels have also been largely kept in check.

The public’s perception of the change for the better in officialdom has been positive. The consensus echoes President Xi Jinping’s pledge: locking power in the cage of institution.

An upright and clean political and business atmosphere is taking shape. Most Party and government officials and employees consciously consider serving the people wholeheartedly as their sacred duty, and work diligently and efficiently.

Yet a new malady is emerging, that is, official inaction and demotivation.

Many officials do nothing more than clocking in and clocking out, muddling through in their work. On the pretext of shunning away from social activities that may lead to suspicion of corruption or extravagance, some officials simply confine themselves to the office; they do not go to grass-roots units where loads of problems await their investigation and resolution.

They leave many application files unapproved for a long time, causing much delay in some urgent projects. They would rather do little than risk making mistakes in work.

In analysis of the causes of the widespread lazy governance, President Xi made the pertinent remark: “Three factors have caused the official inaction: a lack of competence, an absence of motivation and a shortage of commitment, in officialdom.”

The public is frowning on the new form of official malady, with some complaining that it had become even harder for them to get matters done than when graft was rampant. Though hardly any audacious officials openly solicit and accept bribes, quite a few began to engage in buck-passing, procrastination and the intentional creation of problems. They pay lip service to their supervisors as well as the public.

The solution to this new malady requires a more comprehensive measure. First of all, reform must be conducted to modernize the process of selection and training of public servants and officials, and elimination of incompetent ones. There must be a mechanism that will remove the dog from the manger. A conscientious and competent official or employee is trained not only to carry out routine or designated tasks, but to be able to bring fresh elements to his work and improve the wellbeing of the population or locality he serves.

Officials and employees also need a strong motivation for doing a good job; morale must be boosted and maintained. It’s true that since the beginning of the crackdown on corruption, “gray income” or fringe benefits have diminished, which has affected morale to some extent.

Therefore, a merit-based salary and reward system must be established to encourage qualified and creative officials and employees.

As for those who are excessively cautious in their work lest they should make mistakes, specific, clearly defined responsibilities and a liability waiver code are necessary to avoid duty evasion, buck-passing and undue punishment for minor faults in work.

One of the CPC’s purposes and principles is to serve the people, which requires its members’ faith in the lofty cause of the national rejuvenation. So it is incumbent on CPC members and government officials to have a spirit of dedication and allegiance.

Therefore, those occupying key positions but deficient in dedication and commitment must be removed from their posts. To serve this purpose, an oversight system must be set up. Organization departments of the CPC and the government, working with the supervision department, should carry out regular inspection on officials’ performance and assess their work and results.

As Premier Li Keqiang pointed out in his annual report on government work, it is also a sort of corruption for an official to occupy a position without doing his job. If the best way to curb corruption is to lock power in the cage of institution, the best way to contain lazy governance is also put officials under the constant supervision of institution.

(The author is an English tutor and freelance writer.)