Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Although some basic principles such as the rule of law have taken root in China, it is still not easy to convince the people that some changes, especially when they are closely connected with power restructuring, are made for the public good.

Perhaps the low credibility of the authorities is one cause, but given the unprecedentedly dramatic transformation the country is going through, it might just be an unavoidable process. Now different thoughts emerge and conflict with each other, it is becoming more difficult to reach consensus on certain matters.

As a key link to breaking the shackles of vested interests, an endeavor reinforced by the new top leadership, every step of civil service reform can draw keen attention and stir nationwide debate.

The latest move is the recruitment of contract-based government officials. It was first adopted by Shenzhen, a metropolis in South China's Guangdong Province, in 2007, and now more cities are joining in.

It was reported that 3,200 government officials in Shenzhen were given contracts instead of a lifelong tenure in 2010, accounting for 10 percent of government personnel. But such a bold move has been questioned, because over the past years, none of them were let go, and all of them have got a renewal on the same or better terms when their contracts were about to expire.

The "iron rice bowl," a metaphor used to describe the worry-free and permanently guaranteed official jobs, was changed into the "porcelain rice bowl." But many people are sardonically commenting that has turned out to be an iron rice bowl covered with glaze. This is probably the most common reaction from the public to this issue.

More catalysts are added to the public debate, such as five contract-based government officials in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province, assumed their duties in recent days with a salary no less than 300,000 yuan ($48,123) a year, much higher than the national average.

Local governments responded to the public's suspicions, saying that the effectiveness of contract system cannot be simply measured by the number of government officials whose contracts aren't renewed. They also claimed that high salaries are only limited to a few posts, which require high professional skills.

The authorities can no doubt list many reasons about why civil service reform is carried out in this way. And probably all these explanations make sense.

However, at a time when public opinion is largely manipulated by social media, especially radical online commentators, civil service reform, a controversial undertaking no matter under what conditions, can hardly spare itself from queries and doubts.

Since any reform is meant to eradicate the old and foster the new, there is no guarantee that the process will be impeccable. In most cases, there will be compromises and delays, even off-the-record negotiations, all of which are done in a slowly progressive manner for the public good as a whole. Thus, local governments must have the strategic tenacity to face questioning looks.

Strategic tenacity doesn't mean the authorities are bullet-proof and can just ignore public concerns or skepticism. Local governments need to diversify their tactical measures to reduce the possibility of being doubted when a government decision is made.

Recent years have seen a dramatically increasing number of government decisions being questioned. There is a tendency taking shape that not only makes many people doubt the feasibility of every government decision, but more dangerously leads to skepticism about the motives of the government.

Unqualified tactical measures, such as clumsy responsiveness to emergencies and bad PR when trying to ease down public concerns, are undermining the already declining government credibility.

Civil service reform touches the core of China's power restructuring, which is a delicate issue in the redistribution of social benefits. But Chinese society, which largely pivoted on power in the past, has resorted to other forces, such as the rule of law, to improve itself, and this tendency should be led by the government across all levels.

The author is a Global Times reporter. liuzhun@globaltimes.com.cn