Stepping up its fight against corruption, the Beijing Municipal
Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has set up four
inspection groups to oversee top district and county officials as
well as municipal bureau directors.
The inspection groups will operate alongside such existing
mechanisms as local discipline inspection committees, inspection
authorities and local people’s congresses to supervise government
work and officials.
The groups will inspect top officials of the capital city’s 18
districts and counties twice during each five-year term of office,
said Feng Shuliang, executive vice secretary of the Beijing
Municipal Committee for Discipline Inspection of the CPC.
Inspections of some officials could take up to two months, Feng
said.
In addition to examining political achievements and behavior,
the inspection groups will ascertain governmental responsibility in
the event of major accidents.
The inspection groups will also work with auditing authorities
and judicial departments if necessary.
Inspection results will be an important reference to evaluate
government officials and determine whether to keep them in their
posts or remove them, Feng said.
The four groups and a coordinating office will report to the
Beijing Municipal Committee for Discipline Inspection of the CPC
and the Organization Department of the Beijing Municipal Committee
of the CPC.
“If the inspection groups fail to fulfill their duties--for
example, if they fail to uncover corrupt officials--they will be
held responsible,” Gao Ming, a press officer with the discipline
inspection committee said Monday.
He noted that additional details of the plan are now being
drafted by the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPC and may soon
be released.
The inspection groups will be headed by four former vice
secretaries of various district committees of the CPC, including
Wang Tieyang, former vice secretary of the Fengtai District
Committee of the CPC and the district discipline inspection
committee secretary.
Every group has seven members, including the group leader. The
coordinating office has a staff of five. Most of the group members
are from the Beijing Municipal Committee for Discipline Inspection
of the CPC and the Organization Department of the Beijing Municipal
Committee of the CPC.
None of the inspectors will be assigned to districts or counties
where they have worked before.
Inspections were started in 1996, but have never before been
conducted by an independent organization.
Experts point out that at present, there is no perfect system to
supervise government officials.
In addition regular supervision from the Beijing Municipal
Committee for Discipline Inspection of the CPC and the Beijing
Municipal Inspection Bureau, the Beijing Municipal People’s
Congress--the city’s top legislative body--will begin annual
evaluations of senior government officials, including vice
mayors.
(China Daily May 11, 2004)