The government should do more to promote honesty in the society,
says an article in People's Daily. The following is an
excerpt:
Two pieces of news caught the attention of the public recently.
First, the Hunan provincial government released a circular on the
acceleration of building a system of rewarding the honest and
punishing the cheats. According to the circular, a traffic
violation will lead to an increase in fees for a car driver the
following year, and a default in bank loans will affect the
mortgage of a house-owner.
Second, the Harbin municipal government released a document on
building an honest government. It requires all government bodies at
different levels to voluntarily publicize information, reveal
things they have promised to do for residents on a periodical
basis, and explain to residents the reasons why they have failed in
their commitments.
The two pieces of news have one thing in common - credibility.
What is different is that the first is aimed at promoting corporate
and personal honesty while the second at strengthening the
government's credibility.
The issue of credibility has long been a concern. And in recent
years it has been more in the spotlight - college students failing
to repay bank loans, and credit card debits.
However, the lack of credibility is mostly blamed on
corporations and individuals. In fact, the government's credibility
is more crucial than the other two.
It is important for government officials to match their words
with deeds and use their power with transparency to boost the
building of honesty in a society.
(China Daily December 3, 2007)