By Wang Jie
Translated by Wang Jing
Since 21st September, 75 pre-Cadres of Liuyang, Hunan province, have declared their properties including annual incomes, real estates, investments, automobiles on the Party Conduct and Incorrupt Government Web. It is known that the institution of property openness in Liuyang has been called "the most thorough" mode for its most comprehensively informed materials and most public way of openness. Now, the period of openness has been finished. Chinese Version>>
The institution of officials' property openness is a generally acknowledged and efficient institution of preventing corruption. It is also an institution that has been repeatedly called for by people with lofty ideas and the public. After A Letai area and Cixi of Zhejiang province, Liuyang, Hunan province, has given "the most thorough" version of the institution of officials' property openness, and it is of positive meaning.
First of all, it has found the breakthrough point for officials' property openness, which can create some effects of prevention. The institution of officials' property openness is a completely new institution. It is quite hard to be implemented in an all round way. Accurate breakthrough point must be found to spread the institution. We should start from the easy point and then the hard one gradually. Undue haste will probably cause not only no effect but also doubts about the institution itself. Secondly, it breaks the lie that officials' property can not be opened completely. While the public were calling repeatedly for promulgating the institution of officials' property openness, some people prevent it with various reasons. After debating for 15 years, the debate still continues and they insist that the time is not mature. Though the property openness institution in Liuyang, A Letai area and Cixi of Zhejiang province are all not scientific and comprehensive, the lie of "immature time" for the implementing of officials' property openness has been broken thoroughly after practice and the sky did not fall down.
Thirdly, it has taken a solid step and for the officials' property openness institution and provided new blue print and mode for the probing of the institution in other places. Compared with the officials' property openness institution in A Letai area of Xinjiang province and Xici of Zhejiang province, the one in Liuyang of Hunan province has absorbed some advantages from the former two. To be specific, concerning the object, it has cleared the limitation of the property openness only for officials themselves in A Letai area and drawn the property of their mates and children into the object of openness. As for contents, it has covered features of A Letai area and Cixi and declares both regular income and properties with large amount. As for the transparency, it is open to the whole society through newspaper and web, which helps to accept the public supervision. The shortcoming goes to the narrow scope of openness which declares only those pre-officials.
Another fatal weakness is that the property openness is established on the basis of "self-report", lacking compulsive regulations and measures for untrue property openness, that is to say, there is no guarantee of its reality and reliability. Whatever, the three places have finally taken the first step and its sprit of probing and creative meaning deserves positive recognition. It is undeniable that it has made efforts and progressive function for the coming of Chinese officials' property openness in the future.
So, the author think we should view officials' property openness institution in areas like Liuyang from an positive angle and encourage more places to explore officials' property openness institution actively. Meanwhile, we should give advices to it actively in order to promote the completeness and early spreading of officials' property openness in different places, and play due and propelling effect for constructing an incorrupt society.