Fighting against extravagance
- By Yin Pumin
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E-mail Beijing Review, March 5, 2014
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On January 15, the Beijing Municipal Government issued an order to close all private clubs and high-end entertainment venues in public parks.
The campaign was launched after the CCDI released a set of regulations last December, which ordered officials to shun high-end clubs to avoid extravagant practices and power-for-money or power-for-sex deals.
In recent years, some high-end private clubs have been opened in ancient buildings and parks and they cater to some officials' pursuits of luxury and privacy, Zhao Yuqi, an official from the CPC Beijing Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, said at a briefing.
Kong Fanzhi, former Director of the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage, said that clubs in parks and historical buildings are a clear invasion on public resources by the privileged.
"Parks and historical sites are public treasures, which should be open to everyone, rather than just a privileged few," Kong said, adding that operating clubs in historical buildings also goes against local regulations on cultural relic protection.
According to the CPC Beijing Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, 24 clubs have been targeted in the recent campaign.
The commission has also issued a notice ordering all officials in Beijing to sign a pledge undertaking not to enter or join the clubs, and to receive supervision from the Party and the public.
In an interview with China Central Television, China's state broadcaster, Xin Ming, another professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said that more details on defining corrupt practices at private clubs should be added to the regulations to make enforcement easier.
Zeng Yuanji, Vice Dean of the Graduate School at the Beijing-based Communication University of China, agreed. He suggested authorities investigate why such clubs were built inside public parks, especially since the construction was under the supervision of park management departments.
"The fundamental root of such misconduct should be found and eradicated to curb corruption," Zeng said.
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