Fighting CCP corruption requires transparency and separation
Editorial 2012-11-27 08:45
A trial of corruption suspects from a state enterprise in Wenzhou in 2011. (Photo/Xinhua)
Citizens in China can expect to see anti-graft policies at the forefront of Xi Jinping's agenda, as evidenced in his first public address after assuming the post of general secretary of the Communist Party.
Xi's notion that some party members lack belief and faith, and the recent full-page criticism published in the party mouthpiece People's Daily, which highlighted the public's indulgence of extravagance and corruption, showed that the authorities will be focusing on re-establishing the conviction and reputation of party members.
Although China has seen several high-profile corruption cases over the past two decades, the government has been unable to stem the flow of new incidents. A successful mechanism would have to include improved transparency, an independent judicial system based on the rule of law, and more thorough oversight.
Several cases in the weeks preceding the party's 18th National Congress of officials caught bedecked with accessories worth close to their annual salaries indicates an urgent need for the mandatory disclosure of the wealth of government officials and their family members.
Recent political maneuvers would suggest the first measures towards realizing Xi Jinping's initiatives. Public Security minister Meng Jianzhu, named as the new secretary of the party's Commission for Political and Legal Affairs, was not given a seat on the Politburo Standing Committee like his predecessor Zhou Yongkang. The separation of powers could be interpreted as a concerted decision to curb political influence on the judicial branch.
According to China's first white paper on judicial reforms, published on Oct. 9, the party is united in its aim to keep the judicial system independent from politics. This remains to be seen.
As any system, comprehensive or not, can be used as a tool in the eternal political power struggle, it is also important to establish external oversight by relaxing the state's grip on the press and giving more power to the country's two legislative bodies — the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
