Embarrassment for anti-graft system

A recent media report says Ye Shuyang, former head of public security bureau in Guangdong province's Shaoguan city who is under investigation for corruption, had plans to amass up to 60 million yuan by abusing his power. This should be an embarrassment to the anti-corruption system, says an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:

Ye Shuyang, an official under investigation for corruption, had planned to amass 60 million yuan by abusing his power. The former head of public security bureau of Shaoguan city, Guangdong province, may not be the most corrupt official, but he has set a record. He had been executing his plan for 20 years during which no one even doubted his intentions. Some experts say that lack of supervision and the "art" with which he hid his misdeeds were the reasons why he could make money illegally for so long.

Lack of supervision is evident in many government departments. But the "art" of concealing misdeeds cannot be attributed to Ye. He took bribes almost openly. When he sold a State-owned enterprise at an extremely low price, piles of complaints flooded the authorities and the victimized workers protested, but the higher authorities remained deaf. Such incidents happened repeatedly, and instead of being punished Ye was promoted several times, making a mockery of the local anti-corruption system.

If public opinion is neglected, the anti-corruption system cannot function effectively. The repeated calls to allow public supervision in the running of the anti-corruption system have fallen on the authorities' deaf ears. But the authorities should know that to prevent crimes like Ye's, they have to listen to public opinion.

(China Daily 01/14/2010 page9)