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Cover Stories Series 2011> China's Anti-Graft Efforts> Archive> Forum
UPDATED: December 14, 2009 NO. 50 DECEMBER 17, 2009
Are Numeric Targets Suitable for Anti-corruption Work?
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To go to extremes is dangerous. Three consequences are expected to come out of the elimination system: First, the best survive; second, all is good so the second best are eliminated; third, all is bad and the worst are eliminated. We hope to see the first result but if it is one of the other two, it's against the system's original intention.

The formulation of every system is supposed to be a strict procedure, but an elimination system is somewhat unreasonable for assessing the performance of anti-corruption agencies. It is a foolish measure and it will surely go wrong. It's better to stop it now than when mistakes have been made.

Li Xuesheng (Morning Post): The alleged original intention of the Henan Provincial Higher People's Procuratorate's new anti-corruption move is to catch as many corrupt officials as possible. The problem is whether or not the anti-corruption work is done well depends on more than just the number of handled cases. In different areas, and even in the same area, corruption develops in different ways. Besides, some cases are complicated and some are easy to deal with. So, while in some cases corrupt officials' crimes could be verified within a week, in other cases, the investigation might last several months or even several years. There are just no standard criteria.

This new idea reflects a kind of rigid thinking. Imposing a fixed goal of the number of corruption cases handled might lead to false and erroneous charges.

Strong determination on corruption

Li Guohui (Morning Post): The elimination system seems a bit too critical but, compared with the inaction of some government agencies, it is undoubtedly forceful. It demands anti-corruption prosecutors to act more responsibly.

If this new system really encourages prosecutors to actively deal with corruption cases and try their best to do their jobs, the number of corruption cases will surely decline.

Corrupt officials always pretend very well. It's hard to eradicate the roots of corruption. Before 2008, Henan fell behind many other provinces in terms of the number of major cases to be investigated and prosecuted. Of many reasons, insufficient effort could be an important one.

This introduction of the elimination system shows the Henan Provincial Higher People's Procuratorate's anti-corruption determination. A stringent accountability system will undoubtedly help to curb corruption.

Zong Yuan (The Beijing News): The Henan Provincial Higher People's Procuratorate has not set up detailed goals for local anti-corruption agencies. It's not unreasonable to make comparison among performance of different anti-corruption agencies, because, after all, the corruption situation in different regions of a certain province will not be too different.

In the past, on average, Henan's local anti-corruption agencies dealt with about 20 job-related criminal cases every year. It's reported that anti-corruption prosecutors in Henan are excited about this new measure, saying that they have strong support behind them now. From what they say, we can see it's not that there are no corruption cases, but anti-corruption agencies are incapable of coping with the situation. Although the new measure might be risky in some ways, still we do not need to worry that prosecutors will invent corruption cases, because corruption is already too rampant for them to deal with. Besides, anti-corruption prosecutors themselves will have supervision. They will not deliberately tolerate corruption until it develops into a more serious condition.

Lu Yundong (hlj.rednet.cn): It is a time of frequent occurrence of corruption and there are many related crimes across the country. Concerned government agencies have no choice but to make greater efforts to deal with the cases. The methods of preventing corruption are almost the same all over China, but there is a big gap in different areas in the efficiency of the measures taken. Faced with similar situations, efficiency depends on anti-corruption agencies' willingness, determination and bravery to probe into corruption cases. Thus, it's necessary to set up a system to eliminate those who perform poorly.

It's important to set up a system so that departments that do not fulfill their duties will be held accountable. If a local agency fails to uncover a certain corruption case, it should take responsibility accordingly if the case is later discovered by an upper-level agency.

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