Illustration: Sun Ying

 

A traffic accident in Yan'an, Shaanxi Province recently claimed the lives of 36 people. But what truly infuriates people is the cavalier attitude of the director of the Shaanxi safety supervision bureau at the scene.

Netizens tracked down this official, and have discovered that he is fond of collecting luxury watches. There are quite a few photos of him online, showing off his collections.

The official did a Weibo interview Wednesday to explain how he was able to afford these expensive watches, but it didn't clear public doubts as netizens revealed even more watches he had been wearing.

Why do such displays of wealth often catch the public eye?

In 2009, Zhou Jiugeng, former director of the real estate management bureau in Jiangning district, Nanjing, was found to smoke expensive cigarettes and wear pricey watches. He was eventually sentenced to 11 years in prison for taking bribes. This case has set alarm bells ringing for officials who like to show off their bling.

Nowadays, the income gap between rich and poor has been growing. Public discontent may burst out at any time.

While the country is making an effort to narrow this gap, government officials should rein in their own behavior.

This is the requirement of both the Party and the country for officials. It will also prevent corrupt behavior of individual officials from escalating social tensions.

Officials should not worship luxury goods and set a bad example for all of society. This damages their reputation and credibility.

According to official wording, the construction of a clean government and the anti-corruption combat have achieved distinct results, but there are still many problems. The case of the Shaanxi official reflected this point.

The public is using the Internet to openly watch over officials, which is a step forward in tackling corruption. But some officials still persist in showing off their wealth, which means the problem still exists.

China is undergoing a transitional period. Conflicts between officials and the public can become severe.

This is partly because the reform process is bound to harm the interests of some particular groups.

This will also be accompanied by various other problems.

The public will pay close attention to policymakers and will have strict harsh requirements for their officials.

In the Internet era, everybody is a news-maker. Scandals involving officials such as corrupt behavior can easily be exposed. This is a lesson all officials should heed.

To make officials feel no qualms about their expenditures, besides their own awareness of how they should behave, a mechanism should be set up to prevent them from showing off their wealth. If they cannot name the sources of large sums of money, they should face inquiries by the Party.

After all, a tight regulation not only helps reveal corruption, but also protects officials.

If they can report where their money comes from, they will not be bothered by the public, even if they splurge on expensive items.

Although it seems too harsh to ask officials to stay away from all luxuries, it will eventually help their reputation and improve the relationship between officials and the public. It will also help establish a good image of the government.

The author is director of the Institute of Clean Governance of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in Hubei Province. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn