Issue of accountability heats up following scandals

By Wu Jiao (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-24 09:50

The recent spate of resignations by high-ranking officials following coal mining accidents and a tainted dairy product scandal is pushing the issue of accountability to the fore, analysts and citizens have said.

Equipment is dismantled from an illegal mining site for safety reasons in Linfen, Shanxi Province, Monday, September 22, 2008. [Asianewsphoto]

"While the country still has an immature market system, the scandals have again underlined the urgency for the government to work out an effective management and supervision mechanism on profit-driven manufacturers," Wang Yukai, a public policy analyst at the National School of Administration, said on Tuesday.

Under "widespread collusion" between government officials and illegal businessmen, as well as negligent supervision, illegal practices often magnify to become major loopholes within whole industries and end up suffering huge losses, Wang said.

This month, about 20 officials stepped down and took the blame for coal mine accidents and a dairy product scandal sparked by industry giant Sanlu Group's adding of the chemical melamine to its baby formula, all of which have led to more than 400 casualties and tens of thousands sickened.

Among these, Meng Xuenong from the Shanxi governorship resigned last week for the country's deadliest mining disaster in decades. Li Changjiang, China's quality supervision chief, resigned on Monday over the nationwide baby formula scandal.

At the municipal level, Wu Fumin, mayor of Dengfeng in Henan province, was sacked over a mine blast at the Xinfeng No 2 Coal Mine on Sunday that killed 37 workers.

The ongoing issue of accountability arising from the incidents has reportedly reminded people of the landmark incident involving the outbreak of the SARS virus in 2003, which brought down then Beijing mayor Meng Xuenong and health minister Zhang Wenkang.

Five years after SARS, the country's accountability system has seen principal officials involved in related incidents punished more often, Wang Yukai said.

To that effect, Premier Wen Jiabao had said at the beginning of the current administration earlier this year that the central government would tighten accountability in a number of provinces and State Council ministries in 2008.

"The current storm shows the firm determination of top leadership," Wang said.

Officials who adopted "wrong policies" and promoted "wrong people" should also step down in line with such accountability, 52 percent of more than 46,500 polled in an online survey by www.people.com.cn, a portal supported by the People's Daily newspaper, said.

"It sometimes comes as a surprise, that some government heads whom we all considered to be very diligent in their duties, have to step down because of an accident. It is really confusing," said Beijing resident Huang Wenqing.

"Perhaps more information on the causes behind such accidents and the division of duties of government officials involved will help us better understand who should be responsible," Huang said.