Lack of supervision has led to huge waste by some government
officials, says a signed article in China Youth Daily. An
excerpt follows:
A recent survey conducted by the paper's social research center
put high government waste and administrative costs in the
spotlight. Over 90 percent of the 3,602 surveyed say that
government wastefulness is more serious than that of civilians.
In the market environment, civilians try to minimize costs when
they spend their own money. In contrast, the government is spending
taxpayers' money, which leads to a natural and institutional
tendency to waste.
That is why Western countries design systems to prevent
government waste. A truly resource-saving government will be built
only when financial restrictions and supervision by taxpayers are
in place.
The lack of supervision is the institutional reason for
government waste. Another reason may be officials' retaliation
against anti-corruption efforts.
When the central government increases its fight against
corruption, some officials get material and spiritual satisfaction
by wasting public money. As they cannot put public money into their
own pockets, they choose to waste the money.
Such revenge shows our anti-corruption standards are too low.
Wasting public money has not been defined as corruption but only
malpractice. And the punishment is light. Thus officials lack a
sense of shame about wasting public money.
There should be stricter definitions of corruption. Any wasting
of public money should be regarded as corruption.
Of course the basic and most effective measure to stop waste
should be supervision by taxpayers. The anti-corruption act driven
by administrative power still cannot compete with taxpayers'
supervision on the spending of their own money.
(China Daily June 15, 2007)