Netizens sound off about officials' neglect of duty

Nearly three-quarters of netizens polled by China's top anti-graft agency said government officials slack off and lack self-discipline.

Seventy-four percent of netizens in an online survey conducted by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China said the neglect of official duties is serious.

In the online survey released on Tuesday, 80 percent of respondents said anti-graft efforts are not doing enough, and many disciplinary authorities are not fighting corruption because they are afraid of offending officials.

Some netizens suggested that disciplinary authorities make it more convenient for the public to submit information to expose corrupt officials, according to the commission.

The commission launched the survey on June 12, and 41,119 netizens have participated as of June 18. Respondents are asked to answer questions about the work and practices of officials.

One question asks whether Party and government officials lack discipline, and respondents select from four answers about the severity of the problem: serious, acceptable, not serious or difficult to say.

The survey aims to delve deeper into official malpractice and identify neglect of duty in the public sectors, the commission said.

Seventy percent of the netizens said officials improved their work styles after the 18th National Congress of the CPC held in November 2012, when the Party's new leadership was elected.

In December 2012, the CPC Central Committee put forward the "eight-point" rules, requiring officials to clean up undesirable work styles, including extravagance and hedonism. Last year, 30,420 officials were punished for violating these rules.

Xia Huan, a civil servant from the Beijing Bureau of Civil Affairs, said the bureau has utilized a "mass-line campaign" since last year to require that officials pay greater attention to the public.

"Unlike in the past, when government workers were arrogant and bureaucratic, civil servants nowadays are urged to treat the public more patiently and attentively," he said.