Soon after President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao took the country's reins, they faced the first major test of their leadership in March 2003 - the outbreak of Sars and international criticism of the central government's initial attempts to cover up the crisis.
But they soon took drastic action by sacking then Minister of Health Zhang Wenkang , and then Beijing Mayor Meng Xuenong , for attempting to cover up the epidemic or incompetence related to it.
They also made public the scale of the crisis and sped up efforts to contain the disease's spread.
The sackings were hailed by mainlanders and the international community alike and generally seen as defining a new governance style - putting the people first.
Six years later, however, the much-trumpeted official accountability system has lost its lustre and has become a target of ridicule in mainland internet chat rooms and even the official media.
The latest example that has triggered nationwide anger is the truly bizarre punishment by demerit, reappointment and reinstatement of a middle-level official with the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).