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Deadlines may pass but hunt is still on
Li Yizhong was embarrassed when he announced on Monday that fewer than 500 government employees had withdrawn their stakes in coal mining enterprises before the September 22 deadline. The figure was described as "incomplete" based on reports from nine provinces only. The figure Li, director of the State Administration for Safe Production Supervision (SASPS), had to report obviously fell far short of public expectations. Do not forget what Li Tieying, a vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, told the country's top lawmakers late last month. Almost every mining accident investigated has been tainted by corruption, he stated. Besides receiving bribes from illicit mine owners in exchange for protection, some officials have personal stakes in unlawful coal pits. In total, the SASPS has found 8,648 coal mines in 25 provinces operating without proper safety guarantees, published their names, and ordered that they suspend operations. It may well not be true to say each case involves stakeholders with government posts. But that they have managed to survive repeated high-profile safety crusades gives rise to suspicion. Is concern about tax revenue - a widely cited excuse - sufficient for officials to risk ruining their careers? Why should local authorities, often extremely responsive to political assignments from Beijing, turn a deaf ear this time? There is a saying that officials' stakes in illicit coal mines are more profitable than robbing banks, and most important of all, free of risk on market. This is why some officials would rather lose their official position than lucrative investment. The word from Beijing is that anyone refusing to withdraw by the September 22 deadline will be stripped of their official titles. But as Li Yizhong acknowledged, even existing laws are unable to deliver a meaningful deterrent. The NPC Standing Committee has called on the government to do away with the trouble caused by small illicit coal mines in three years. To satisfy that requirement, various deadlines have been worked out. By year's end, the more than 8,000 problematic coal mines have to be reformed or closed. We share the public's concern about what Li Yizhong will say after those deadlines, as well as what happens to officials who have not withdrawn financial interests in illegal coal mines. When the NPC Standing Committee talked about collusion between public servants and outlaw mine owners, society saw a political will to deal with one of our chronic headaches. The State Council's persistent campaigns and harsh words show a strong desire to end the embarrassment once and for all. This may be a test it cannot afford to fail. Actually behind-the-scenes alliances between government employees and corporate interests exist not only in the coal mining industry. If the vociferous anti-corruption drive gets stranded in the coal pits, how can we expect it to fare elsewhere?
(China Daily 09/28/2005 page4)
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