OpinionGuangzhou district town governments in spending spree on receptions
A spending spree by Guangzhou district town cadres on official receptions makes a mockery of Beijing's pledge to rein in extravagance
Quite a few eyebrows were raised in Guangzhou this week at the news that three town-level governments - two in relatively poor rural areas - spent more than 4 million yuan (HK$5 million) a year between them on official receptions.
When Guangzhou's sub-district governments released details of their spending in either 2011 or 2012 late last month, the Aotou and Liangkou town governments, both in Conghua, and the Tonghe Street Committee in the city's Baiyun district topped the list. Liangkou spent 1.87 million yuan in 2011, followed by Aotou which spent 1.25 million last year. Tonghe Street spent 1.09 million in 2011.
It must be quite exhausting and challenging to eat such expensive dinners every day
As a Southern Metropolis Daily report pointed out, citing a figure provided by Hong Kong Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Secretary Raymond Tam Chi-yuen, the three grass-roots governments spent almost the same amount on official receptions - including banquets and gifts - as the Hong Kong government's protocol division for the 2011 financial year.
Han Zhipeng , a member of Guangzhou's Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, lamented on his microblog: "I want to know how taxpayers' money was eaten up."
A closer examination of the figures explains Han's outrage. Official documents show the Tonghe Street Committee has just 40 staff and that a nearby street committee of similar size spent just 93,000 yuan a year. "I'm really curious about how many people they received and what they ate," Han said.
Both Aotou and Liangkou are classified as "poverty-stricken towns" in Guangdong and eligible for aid each year. In 2011, Guangzhou's Huangpu district gave Liangkou 12 million yuan in development funds. But the 1.87 million yuan it spent on receptions meant it squandered at least 5,000 yuan a day.
The findings sparked dismay and ridicule on social media websites, with some internet users calling for more transparency over official reception expenses. One microblogger said: "I guess it must be quite exhausting and challenging to eat such expensive dinners every day."