He was found guilty of taking bribes valued at 5.17
million yuan (US$623,000) and possessing 4.8 million yuan (US$578,300) that he
could not account for.
Wang thus becomes the third beheaded provincial- and
ministerial-level official since the country kicked off the reform and opening
up drive in the late 1970s, following Hu Changqing, former vice-governor of
Jiangxi Province, and Cheng Kejie, former vice-chairman of the Standing
Committee of the National People's Congress.
Wang was one of the 13 officials at the provincial and
ministerial level who were dealt with this year.
The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the government are
not talking emptily. Their determination and sincerity to eliminate corruption
is beyond question.
No doubt, the zero tolerance displayed by the CPC and the
government towards corrupt officials will win them greater trust and support
from the public.
While relentlessly dealing with corrupt officials, equal
attention should be placed on ferreting out the conditions that nurture
corruption.
In this regard, Wang's case provides much food for
thought.
After taking office as deputy secretary of the municipal
committee of the CPC in Fuyang city of Anhui Province in 1993 he got promoted
every two years, finally attaining the rank of vice-governor in
1999.
It was during this period that Wang committed his crimes.
He took bribes and initiated projects to curry favour with higher-level
officials, which caused enormous losses to local economies.
Though igniting great public resentment among local
residents, Wang, relying on those "image projects,?won acclaim from his seniors
and cheated his way up.
This exposes major loopholes in the system of selecting
and promoting officials, and in the supervision of work
performance.
Under such circumstances officials like Wang are
encouraged to be responsible more than to the public. They would work to please
higher-ranking officials, rather than serving the interest of local
people.
Wang received the punishment he deserved. But with an
absence of efficient checks, he will not be the last one.
(China Daily )
