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Transparency shot

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-24 07:42

It was something society desperately needed, and one many had appealed for eagerly. Yet, few anticipated it would come so soon, and, for that, we have the city of Guangzhou to thank.

From now on, every citizen can log on the website of the city's Bureau of Finance to find out just how exactly taxpayer money is being spent by the 114 agencies of the city government. The information is downloadable free of charge.

This south China city has thus become the first on the mainland to make its budget information available on the Internet. This definitely calls for celebration as many of its counterparts still refuse to part with this information, saying it constitutes "State secrets."

Of course, that is ridiculous. A recent rule on government information disclosure requires all governments to make information publicly accessible unless the law stipulates otherwise. There is no law designating government spending as "State secret." Most have chosen to withhold such information on the seemingly lofty ground of "security" although everyone is, by now, quite aware that that is a phony excuse.

Corruption is a true threat to social harmony and State security, and transparency is the only known effective antidote.

Keeping the public in the dark about how their tax yuans are disposed of is outrageous. Without such crucial information, how can people know whether their so-called "public servants" are faithful to their duties? After all, we have been cautioned by too many previous incidents not to blindly trust in the officials' promise of self-regulation. As far as we know, the only sensible solution is to expose them to public scrutiny.

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The city of Guangzhou, however, turned down a citizen's request to open up its municipal account books, citing "State security." That it over-satisfied that demand this year demonstrates that there actually is little, if anything, shy of the sunshine. Indeed, a people's government should not have too much to hide from those it is supposed to serve. Or, public oversight will be reduced to mere rhetoric.

Given the less-than-holy reputation of public offices, withholding budget information from the public invites further belief in corruption. For the man on the street, the reason cannot be simpler: Why are you afraid of public knowledge if you have nothing to hide?

Guangzhou can do it, why not other cities?

The group of volunteers, whose repeated requests for local budget information are what is believed to have contributed to the latest development in Guangzhou, have seen similar requests denied by dozens of central government departments and local governments, including Shanghai.

Besides the decision-makers in Guangzhou, we should also thank those volunteers for their determined attempts to press for transparency.

Let their efforts not go in vain. Let Guangzhou not be the only case.