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)