Party rules keep officials in check
Print Edition
Wu Haixiang, a senior discipline inspector in Qufu, a city in east China’s Shandong Province, can spot a government car at 50 paces.
On weekends and public holidays, she scouts restaurants in search of officials defying a ban on lavish banquets, or lies in wait on highway ramps to spot government vehicles being used for family outings.
Since a campaign against official extravagance and corruption was launched in 2012, local-level discipline officials like Wu have become some of the most feared faces by local government workers.
“Many young people like me joined the Party to get ahead in my career, without much thought about what it would entail,” said Fang Ming, a government employee in east China’s Anhui Province.
“But the intensive, and sometimes compulsory, training on the Party’s code of conduct over the past two years has made me reflect on what it means to be a CPC member,” he said.
For many government-employed Party members, the discipline campaign has stripped them of privileges and given them more responsibilities.
“Using government vehicles was never questioned before, but now nobody dares to,” said Zhang Wei, a traffic police officer in Anhui. “People are scared of being caught and punished.”
Liu Tian, a government worker in Lu’an City, Anhui, had to move into an office with five other people after a rule limiting the size of offices.
“Now, in addition to having more responsibilities, Party members no longer have preferential treatment,” he said.
The Party’s code of conduct bans behavior ranging from bribery to adultery and is often more stringent than the law.
Many local discipline officials say the discipline campaign has resulted in fewer violations and a higher level of self-discipline.
“Compared with two years ago, my workload is much lighter and we leave most of our inspections empty handed,” Wu said.
“The Party code of conduct cannot replace the law, but it can be stricter,” wrote Wang Binyi, Anhui’s discipline inspection chief, in a magazine article.
“Strict discipline is the decisive force that keeps power in check and will curb corruption,” he said.
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