Hu Jintao moves to stem corruption and waste in the army
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – President Hu Jintao has ordered the military to integrate its logistical support and infrastructure projects with the wider economy to avoid wastage and overlapping, the People's Liberation Army Daily reported yesterday. Military analysts said the order was aimed at stopping corruption and abuse of power in the army.
The report said Mr Hu recently gave the PLA 11 rules to follow, including buying non-essential materials on the open market and allowing outside companies to bid for infrastructure projects.
No specific details of the rules' financial impact were given, but the report said up to 15 per cent of military procurement spending should be market-based by 2010.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land and Resources, the Ministry of Finance and the PLA General Logistics Department have issued a joint announcement designed to stop PLA organs from selling unused military land without approval.
Under the rule, all military land sales will have to be submitted to provincial land resources offices and other related departments for further study.
The Central Military Commission is also investigating senior officers' housing to see whether they are living in accommodation that is too extravagant for their rank.
The president’s move is the latest in a series of new rules and laws designed to reign in the armed forces.
The crackdown was launched when Mr Hu took over as head of the military in September 2004 replacing Jiang Zemin who had shaped the army to secure its loyalty to him.
First thing, Mr Hu has pushed through reforms, including the demobilisation of 200,000 soldiers, thus lowering the PLA's active strength to 2.3 million. He also promoted 10 senior officers to the rank of full general in the main branches of the armed forces, in areas like party policies, propaganda and discipline to ensure their loyalty and break Jiang’s influence.
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01/08/2023 19:22
