Inspection groups to supervise officials
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-05-11 01:13

Stepping up its fight against corruption, the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has set up four inspection groups to oversee top district and county officials as well as municipal bureau directors.

The inspection groups will operate alongside current mechanisms -- such as local discipline inspection committees, inspection authorities and local people's congress -- to supervise governmental work and officials.

According to the plan, the groups will inspect top officials of the capital city's 18 districts and counties twice during each five-year term of office, said Feng Shuliang, executive vice-secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee for Discipline Inspection of the CPC.

Inspections over some officials could take up to two months, Feng said.

Besides political achievements and good behaviour, the inspection groups will also focus on ascertaining governmental responsibilities over big accidents.

The inspection groups will also work with auditing authorities and judicial departments if necessary.

Inspection results will be an important reference to appraise government officials and whether to keep or remove them from current posts, Feng said.

The four groups and a co-ordinating office will report to the Beijing Municipal Committee for Discipline Inspection of the CPC and the Organization Department of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPC.

"If the inspection groups fail to fulfil their duties, for example, if they fail to uncover corrupt officials, they will be held responsible," Gao Ming, a press officer with the discipline inspection committee said Monday.

But he noted that more details of the plan are now being drafted by the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPC and may soon be released.

The four inspection groups will be headed by four former vice-secretaries of various district committees of the CPC, including Wang Tieyang, former vice-secretary of the Fengtai District Committee of the CPC and the district discipline inspection committee secretary.

Every group has seven working staff including the group leader. The inspection office has five members.

Group members are mainly from the Beijing Municipal Committee for Discipline Inspection of the CPC and the Organization Department of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPC, according to Feng Shuliang.

No staff will be assigned to inspect districts or counties where they have worked before.

Inspections were started in 1996, but have never been carried by an independent organization until now, said sources.

Currently, there is no perfect system to supervise government officials, experts pointed out.

In Beijing, besides regular supervision from the Beijing Municipal Committee for Discipline Inspection of the CPC and the Beijing Municipal Inspection Bureau, the Beijing Municipal People's Congress -- the city's top legislative body -- will begin appraising senior government officials every year, including vice-mayors.

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