The People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC), is to publish a commentary on Tuesday calling for rigorous education and tight supervision of officials and Party members as a way to weed out corruption.

The article comes after a series of mass incidents (protests), food scandals and work safety disasters this year. It said the incidents showed that some Party members and officials were "callous and indifferent to the interests and life security of the public".

It also brought up cases in which officials fled to foreign countries or sent family members and assets overseas, which it said showed that supervision of officials in some places is too "loose" and "weak".

A recent case involved a municipal official from east China's Zhejiang Province, who overstayed more than 40 days in France and refused to return home.

To prevent such cases and ease public complaints, the newspaper said, "We must rigorously educate officials and put them under strict supervision."

It said that improving education and supervision of officials must be seen as an important task in the Party's one and a half-year campaign to learn and implement the Scientific Outlook on Development. The campaign was launched in September.

The Scientific Outlook on Development emphasizes comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development.

Through the campaign, the CPC expects its officials to change work styles that don't meet the requirements of scientific development and find solutions to issues people complain about most.

The newspaper also urged the authorities to keep reforming the system of official selection to "form a correct guideline that emphasizes both political integrity and professional competence of officials but has a priority on the former.

"Those who have bad work styles and cannot discipline themselves and arouse public complaints must be demoted. And those who trade power for money and violate the law and discipline cannot be tolerated and must be punished," the newspaper said.

(Xinhua News Agency November 17, 2008)