A real battle between the National Government and local authorities
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Even if national policies are decided by Beijing, local governments have direct control over financial, human and material resources. The constant scandals show that the central government’s policies on pollution, environmental respect, safeguarding of property, social services, are completely ignored by local officials.
President Hu Jintato and premier Wen Jiabao have repeated the need for “harmonious development”, which respects the environment and the economic rights of the population. In March 2005 Wen indicated his objective to guarantee “clean drinking water, clear and breathable air and a better working and living environment” for all, But in 2005 and 2006 the level of national pollution increased and their have been a rising number of environmental disasters: the pollution of Songhua river which in 2004 left over 4 million people without drinking water, the toxic food and drugs which have poisoned numerous people at home and abroad, the brick factories which have reduced thousands of workers to slavery among them many children, to the algae pollution of the three major Chinese lakes which killed off the indigenous fauna and left the water undrinkable. Even more serious for the population, the increasing cost of medical care, education and housing due to a total lack of social policies.
Beijing responded by replacing many local leaders, but corruption and the adoption of “special” policies is widespread at every level, in villages, counties, cities and provinces. This is why experts observe that replacing local leaders is not sufficient. Recalling that Jiangsu province is among the most polluted, despite that fact that the Party Chief is a close collaborator of Hu. They also observe that the recent execution of the death penalty of Zheng Xiaoyu, head of the State Food and Drug Administration who was accused of accepting almost 6.5 million Yuan in bribes for doling out favours to some pharmaceutical companies, clearly demonstrates Beijing’s difficulty in controlling the situation, to the point where extreme measures are needed.
Back in 2005, Zhang Baoqing , a retiring deputy minister of education, caused a big stir by discussing publicly an open secret long known to the bureaucrats: that the mainland's biggest problem was that decrees from Zhongnanhai (the mainland leadership's headquarters in Beijing) could not be heard outside its walls. To be fair, the local officials have a long and time-honoured tradition of fobbing off their superiors, stretching back hundreds of years and giving rise to the proverb, “The sky is high, and the emperor is far away”. An editorial South China Morning Post, today observes that, Beijing must regain control of local politics, preventing constant abuse by public officials in the area of the environment and land rights and introduce fiscal reforms to ensure public offices provide social services rather than concern themselves solely with the gross national product.
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23/07/2009
