Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2013-09-20
The Central
Commission for Discipline Inspection, China's anti-corruption watchdog, is
introducing a new centralized website as part of the Communist Party's current
campaign against graft, reports the Guangzhou-based Southern Weekly.
The newly
created website, which combines resources from five former anti-graft
government websites, includes an "I want to report" function to allow
members of the public to report allegations of corruption.
Commission
chief Wang Qishan, who took over the role last November, has called for a more
impartial and independent disciplinary watchdog. The typically mysterious
commission appears to be taking steps to become more transparent, with
increased news coverage of its activities detailed on national broadcaster
CCTV.
Wang issued
an order in June for all commission staffers to ditch their special VIP and
membership cards, which had become prone to being used as a mechanism for
corruption. For this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, in addition to the
usual warnings against officials receiving gifts and wining and dining on state
funds, punishments will also be handed down to those in breach of the
prohibitions.
Wang has so
far received positive reviews for his efforts, with Renmin University of China
professor Zhou Shuzhen saying that Wang is a hard worker dedicated to real work
rather than showmanship. After listening to people speak, Wang would often ask
them what the source of the problem is and what ideas they would recommend to
solve the problem, Zhou added.
The
commission said that in addition to the new website it will also be opening an
official microblog account and take advantage of other social networking
platforms such as messaging service Weixin, known as WeChat outside China.
Wang said
he personally has no time to microblog, but he has a special team that
specifically searches for and collects information about potential corruption
cases regarding officials on the internet. This information is not only shared
with him but also with other party leaders, Wang added.
During a
commission forum in March and April this year, participants told reporters that
the party is very focused on the next step in its anti-corruption campaign and
believes that the internet can offer the breakthrough party leaders are looking
for.
The
commission currently has 27 functional departments, with the number of
impartial discipline inspection offices increased from eight to 10 this year,
including four in charge of monitoring state-owned enterprises and central
government departments.
The goal of
the commission in its widening anti-corruption campaign is to increase the
number of reported cases, increase the number of cases investigated, and ensure
that the punishment issued acts as an effective deterrent. Staffers said,
however, that the core purpose of the campaign is not necessarily just to take
down corrupt officials but to improve the overall atmosphere inside the party.
Since Xi
Jinping became head of the party last November, the commission has taken down
nine officials at vice-ministerial level or above: Sichuan deputy party chief
Li Chuncheng, former Guangdong United Front Work Department chief Zhou
Zhenhong, former energy chief Liu Tienan, former Anhui vice governor Ni Fake,
former Sichuan Federation of Literary and Art Circles chairman Guo Yongxiang,
Inner Mongolia United Front Work Department chief Wang Suyi, Guangxi Federation
of Trade Unions chairman Li Daqiu, China National Petroleum Corp deputy general
manager Wang Yongchun and its former chairman Jiang Jiemin.
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| The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection website. (Internet photo) |
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