Chinese government workers have a lot to worry about these days. Local government with money is struggling to pay salaries. Political control is spared on behalf of national security. Longtime anti -corruption cleansing does not show the signs of completion.
Now the workers must also make sure that they are not sent with a “snail prize”-the sign that more sites are developing to embarrass their employees with the lowest performance.
“Through this sarcastic” encouragement “, the award -winners can blush and sweat and refresh the mind,” read One comment on the Communist Party websitenoting that they were harmed by the party and the credibility of the Government only “passing”.
Maybe now more than ever, the Chinese government cannot afford to relax his officers. As economic growth slows down, leaders need to introduce new projects, attract investors and inspire ordinary people – basically releases dynamism that has launched the increase in China.
But many officials seem unmotivated if they are not afraid to act. Under the Chinese hard leader, Xi Jinping, the state broke various sectors, from online companies to private tutorial companies to finance. It became impossible to guess what could be next in line. Any policy that deviates from the central government could be considered politically non -pierce.
While officials once competed for the search for glittering infrastructure projects, officials were recently punished for raising money or suppressing construction projects without approval. It seems that the safest path is that nothing is doing anything.
Until it is. In the middle of the noise calls for officials to reinforce, at least three cities award snails, According to the DailyThe official lip of the party. Video clippings on Chinese social mediaTaken from the state television show in the Sichuan province, they show men stoning in suits who were handed a framed certificates.
That’s one of the softer penalties. Urban district in Guangdong Province said she had appointed a database to monitor the official he said they were “lying straight” – Chinese slang for weakening. Other places were bragging about moving or laying off their employees.
The Central Discipline Inspection Commission, the inner anti -corruption body of the party, said last month Punished 138,000 officials 2024 for crimes involving “irresponsibility”, “inactivity” or “pretending to work.” That was more than twice the year before, and far the category with the most people are punished. The second most common offense, irregular giving or receiving gifts, had half the same culprit.
“Taking heavy measures to deal with” light flat staff “is actually a protection of the enthusiasm and initiative of those who do things and entrepreneurial,” states in a recent body against grafts article.
Try to scare already scared officials in action, of course, may not be a recipe for success. Thus, the central authorities also tried to hit a more convincing tone. On Monday, Mr. XI met with some of the best entrepreneurs in the countrywhich many observers considered a signal of a renewed embrace of the private sector. This could make local self -governments be more prepared to work with them.
In December, there are two main commissions that monitor the investment of state -owned companies, it has been obliged to “to” reasonably tolerate normal investment risks “. If the project did not meet the expectations, responsible people could be exempted from punishment, commissions said.
Officials also suggested that party members can get a second opportunity. An official in the Sichuan province who directed unauthorized funds according to the project of building a public toilet was released only a warning, Local Disciplinary Committee said therebecause he did not ask for a personal gain.
But local officials are unlikely to be convinced because the whole trend towards firmer political controls is clear, he said Dongshu LiuProfessor of Chinese politics at the Hong Kong City University. Even if Beijing encourages officials to be proactive now, the space for this is limited. “They want to work hard, but they want to work hard on the next central command,” Professor Liu said.
Indeed, speaking to the disciplinary commission last month, Mr. XI doubled his calls to political cleansing, persuading officials that “you do not give a single step” in breaking corruption and other bad behavior.
Even if Beijing can convince the lower level officials that it is politically secured, these officials may have other reasons not to do so. Some local self -governments allegedly couldn’t pay their workers. The lowest level officials must also face growing work loads, often including frequent personal checks of residents and companies, as Mr. XI pushes the state increase his presence in everyday life.
Yet the record number of young Chinese young are still Civil Service Competition. That could be surprising, given the pressure of the job. But the fundamental reason can be the same as why the Government is so eager for the impact of the clerk into action: poor economy. For all of your shortcomings, the civil service jobs are seen as stable.
“Yes, being a civil servant is not as good as 10 years ago,” Professor Liu said. “But the other choices are even worse.”
Siyi Zhao contribute to the research.
