Daily Lessons from Life 20 September 2009

"Chinese officials to declare assets
This as part of the nation's latest clampdown on rampant corruption. -Sun, Sep 20, 2009 AFP

BEIJING - China has asked officials to disclose their assets and their family's employment situation, state media reported Sunday, as part of the nation's latest clampdown on rampant corruption.


The central discipline inspection commission, which is charged with rooting out corruption among Communist Party cadres, asked all officials to report their properties and investments, the China News Service said.

The work situation of their spouses and children must also be included "to resolve some noticeable problems that relate to the honesty and self-discipline of leaders and cadres", the report said.

The news came just two days after a key annual meeting of the party's powerful central committee ended, vowing to combat a tide of official corruption.


China's leadership has waged one campaign after another to clean up graft over the years, but high-level scandals involving top party leaders have persisted.

On August 7, for example, Li Peiying, the former head of the company that owns Beijing Capital International Airport, was executed.


Li, 60, was convicted of bribery and embezzlement totalling nearly 16 million dollars.

The former head of oil giant Sinopec, Chen Tonghai, was handed a suspended death sentence in July after being found guilty of corrupt practices.


And the mayor of the southern boom town of Shenzhen, Xu Zongheng, has been under investigation for corruption since his removal from office in June."

This is another significant step taken by the Chinese Communist Party government to fight corruption in government. While many people said many of these 'fights' were staged and just for show. I want to be optimistic and I do believe that there are people in authorities that want a clean government. They will enjoy the benefits of being in power but they also recognize the need to be clean!

Lessons for me are:

1. as long as your intention is pure and good, and your deeds add to fostering the 'anti-corruption' way, please proceed without concerns about how others may see it!;

2. corruption is a cancer that CANNOT be allowed to take root and grow. Otherwise, the body will eventually die from it! This anti-corruption message must be in-your-face and constantly be in our consciousness so that we can slowly but surely move it into our subconsciousness until it become a natural instinct and habit!;

3. while we can be skeptical about the ultimate intent, as long as the short term behaviors take root, it is an inch of battlefield gained! Again, slowly but surely, more and more people will want to jump on this clean government policy and the majority are the suffering silence majority! Now that they have a channel to voice their discontent, they will not let it passed!

May China continued its good work in this anti-corruption area for the next 60 years! (Better still root it out before the deadline!!)

Best regards
Lu in Sgp