Chasing corruption from a molting China
- By Alexandre Lesto
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China.org.cn, July 5, 2011
But how much of this is a political game? How much of it is appeasement? Ten provincial governors, ten CEOs of state-owned enterprises, and a few other high-ranking cadres will be audited this year. What does this represent, in the grand scheme of things? Peanuts.
Furthermore, in the game of political chairs, it is a well documented fact that those newly in power purge opponents while promoting a close circle of friends. The Communist Party is a mammoth machine, shaken internally with its share of rivalries and power struggles. How is the observing layman to know whether something is the truth or simply a political score being settled?
How about the people, then? Can they do nothing? They have a certain power. It used to be close to non-existent, but with advances in technology and media, new pathways have been opened up for people to talk to each other, share opinions and unveil local scandals.
The rise of Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like microblogging platform, has changed the dynamic of media communication in China. In just two years, the Internet portal has seen its users rise up to 140 million members. That's 140 million people exposing corrupt principals, cops and mayors. Consider how much more effective such a tool could be in comparison to ten government audits a year.
But it's not just microblogging. Two weeks ago, a new anti-bribery website was launched in China allowing people fed up with the rampant corruption to report any bribe they witnessed. It received over 200,000 visitors in its first two weeks before censors blocked mainland users from returning to the website. Since then, it has been taken down by its webmaster.
Once again, China is a land of paradox. Corruption is widespread and contaminates every sector, yet it is a crime punished by heavy prison sentences and death. The government is adamant on cracking down on bribery, yet discourages spontaneous attempts by the population to discuss and report its wide-reaching influence on their lives.
In the short term, it seems inevitable for us daily readers to see more cases like the Red Cross scandals popping up, but perhaps we can find comfort in the knowledge that as the Chinese population evolves a new Internet consciousness – 140 characters at a time – the government will have to keep up with expectations.
The author is a French-American, currently living and working in Beijing.
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn
