From Chinese Press

Wrong way to fight corruption

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-23 08:15

Why do most corrupt officials have one or more extra-marital affairs? Is it because they wield too much power while in office? These are questions that an article in Western China Metropolis News asks. Excerpts:

The authorities in Shuyang county, Jiangxi province, recently added marital fidelity as a criterion to assess officials and Party cadres.

The move is part of the local corruption-prevention campaign and is in line with the moral and legal requirements, especially after 95 percent of officials and 60 percent of high-ranking officials arrested for corruption were found having extra-marital affairs.

But it will be hard to carry out fidelity checks on officials, because they would be an intrusion into a couple's privacy. It would be easier to prevent corruption if officials' powers, which many of them abuse, are curtailed.

The fundamental question is not whether an official is loyal to his/her spouse, but whether he/she has abused the power given to him/her by the people.

(China Daily 07/23/2010 page9)