Anti-corruption is among major topics of discussion at the ongoing
session
of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political
Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
"Corruption spoils the image of the Party and the government,
alienates the relationship between the Communist Party of China
(CPC) and the people and harms the reform and construction of the
nation," Xie Yong, a newly elected CPPCC member, said in an
exclusive interview yesterday.
Moreover, the existence of corruption cases may put foreigners off
from investing in China, as they care a great deal about the
investing environment, said Xie, who is a member of the China
Association for Promoting Democracy and vice-president of the High
People's Court of Hunan Province.
To
fight against corruption, he suggested the strengthening of
procedure supervision, which means to make clear to the public the
process of implementation of power, instead of launching a simple
crackdown on corrupt officials.
He
added that the low income of some civil servants or government
officials could encourage some to indulge in corrupt practices.
He
suggested the setting up of a special fund to reward honest
officials, ensuring that they can live a decent and comfortable
life after retirement.
Drawing a lesson from the Independent Commission Against Corruption
in Hong Kong, Xie said the Chinese mainland should teach common
people the value of citizenship.
He
said CPPCC plays an important role in the fight against
corruption.
For example, in March 1995, Huang Jingjun and four other CPPCC
members brought forward a proposal demanding the establishment of a
bureau to fight against corruption and bribery under the Supreme
People's Procuratorate. Later that year, such a bureau came into
being.
Statistics indicated that China's various procuratorate departments
dealt with 171,387 cases of corruption between 1998 and 2002,
recouping more than 20 billion yuan (US$2.4 billion) in economic
losses.
Xiu Fujin, a CPPCC member from Jilin Province, said the figures
showed the strong resolution of the CPC to fight corruption by
involving people from all walks of life.
(China Daily March 5, 2003)