If any breakthrough is to be achieved to require government officials to declare their property, specific measures to monitor the properties of those whose spouses and children are overseas should be the focus of these efforts.

It isn't that the public lacks any trust in these officials. Thousands of corrupt officials have escaped overseas in recent decades, taking hundred billions of yuan with them and sending the message that such officials are likely to embezzle public funds or take bribes and then transfer their funds overseas.

They are publicly known as luoguan (naked officials) since they are alone in the Chinese mainland. The name itself bears some color of discrimination. Some local governments even have stipulations that these "naked officials" are barred from assuming top positions.

But it's unreasonable and discriminatory to label these officials with such a name and to enforce these rules upon them. If these officials assume important positions, specific measures are needed to let them declare their property and have their properties monitored. This should be in place simply because we don't trust power when it is in the hands of those who have more reasons and chances to abuse it.

All government officials, those in leading positions in particular, should declare all of their properties and should be supervised from both administrative departments and the public. And though we don't have such an established system, we are on the path of creating one.

If we do believe that such a system will effectively prevent officials from becoming corrupt, why not try it on those who are likely to abuse their power, say those whose spouses and children have already moved overseas?

We need a timetable for the property declaration system. Hopefully, some local governments with the support of the central government will launch it on a trial basis and gather some experience about how the system can better keep power in check.

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