OpinionA cure for cancer of corruption will take more than an iron fist
Graft is a daily part of life on the mainland and jailing a few corrupt officials will do nothing to rid the system of the pervasive disease
New Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping has been vocal about corruption. In his first Politburo meeting as chief, he said: "Corruption is getting worse. The party will perish, so will our country … We should fight it with an iron fist."
Within 24 hours, state media splashed with news of the arrest of a dozen or so corrupt officials in various provinces.
How seriously should we take this? By way of an answer, here is the story of "George". Say "ding" whenever you see, smell or sense corruption.
George is not an insider privy to the anti-graft campaign and power struggles on the mainland. He's just a golf-loving businessman in his 40s with cross-border car plates that he uses to drive from his Hong Kong home to a golf course in Guangdong.
Mainland authorities have limited the number of cross-border plates to 27,000, less than 10 per cent of the number of vehicles in Hong Kong.
Only three kinds of people qualify for one. First, legislators of Guangdong, Guangzhou or Shenzhen. Second, people who invest at least US$1 million in a local business that pays 300,000 yuan (HK$370,000) or more in tax a year. Third, people who donate no less than 10 million yuan to a local charity.