Commentary: When power is encaged, so will extravagance
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E-mail Xinhua, January 23, 2013
The popular TV documentary on Chinese cuisine "A Bite of China" whet the appetites of its viewers, but people find "a bite of public spending" not so pleasing.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), on Tuesday called on all Party organs and members to keep a frugal lifestyle and resolutely oppose ostentation, hedonism and extravagance.
The traditional idea of "honor to frugality and shame to extravagance" should be promoted among the entire party, Xi said.
The volume of leftovers in restaurants in China annually is estimated to be enough to feed 200 million people throughout the year.
While showoff displays and waste at private dinners are just a personal vice that need to be rectified, extravagance and unnecessary ostentation at official banquets must be resolutely stopped.
Leaders and officials' abstinent lifestyle is needed. Not only for the reason that they should take the lead in practising the fine frugal tradition in China, which is still a developing country with a large population living in poverty, but also because they are not allowed to snatch taxpayers' money for their own lusts.
Unscrupulous use of public spending on official receptions, trips and government cars have long been regarded as major sources of power abuse and corruption.
Lavish official dinners, flashy cars and sumptuous government buildings are consuming public funds that may have been spent on improving public infrastructure and people's livelihoods.
Moreover, they are undermining the credibility and public trust of the Party and the government.
To put the officials' vanity affairs to an end, the use of power must be put under control.
At Tuesday's meeting, Xi vowed to fight corruption and keep power reined within the "cage of regulations."
He pledged serious punishment to deter corruption, strict regulation to disenable corruption and measures to reduce the risks of corruption.
Xi also stressed that anti-corruption efforts will be consistent and never slacken.
In 2010, China's crackdown on various forms of extravagant spending by officials saved the country 5.7 billion yuan (908 million U.S.dollar).
The anti-corruption system also requires enhanced public supervision, and a good way to invite better supervision is to promote government information transparency.
Since 2011, central government departments, public institutions and some local governments have published their consumption expenditure on their websites.
When the exercise of power is encaged and supervised, wanton use of public spending will also be contained. Endi
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