Chinese Premier Li Keqiang warns 'slack' officials they'll be exposed
Sloppiness, neglect, and indolence will be exposed, vows Li in policy address, as party identifies being 'self-willed' as a vice alongside graft
Premier Li Keqiang pledged to curb graft as he accused some officials of being "slack" in their actions and "self-willed" in exercising their power, saying that "shocking cases of corruption still exist".
In his state-of-the-union policy address to the National People's Congress yesterday, Li vowed to promote good governance and to pursue officials who neglected their duties.
His warning followed reports in mainland media that the far-reaching anti-corruption campaign pursued by President Xi Jinping had led to "slackness" among some officials, who chose inaction as a way to avoid making mistakes. State leaders including chief graft-buster Wang Qishan , the secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, have previously said that corruption and slackness are two vices the Communist Party is targeting.
Meanwhile Xi urged political advisers to observe socialist values and abide by the law. Xi has pursued his anti-corruption drive since coming to office in 2012. It has taken down dozens of NPC delegates and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in the past year.
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While Li focused on efforts to weed out corruption, he also pledged in his address to promote governance by law, improve the government's working style and efficiency, eliminate opportunities to seek favour from, and bribe, officials - so-called rent-seeking - and cut red tape.
Referring to the need to simplify administrative procedures and delegate power, Li said: "The ultimate truth is the simplest: those with power must not be self-willed.
"A small number of government employees behave irresponsibly; shocking cases of corruption still exist and some government officials neglect their duties, holding onto their jobs while failing to fulfil their responsibilities," he told delegates at the NPC's annual session in Beijing.
It is the first time Li has referred to "slackness" by officials in his annual government report. said Li deliberately chose the term "self-willed".
"Self-willed" has become a popular internet catchword on the mainland and is used to refer sarcastically to the arrogant behaviour of the rich.
"We will expose and hold to account those who are indolent, sloppy or neglectful of their duties," Li said, adding the government would improve its assessments of officials to "commend those who perform well and admonish those who do not".
Zhang Lifan , a Beijing-based political commentator, said Li's remarks were an effort to repair the battered relationship between the public and the government. But Li failed to address an "important" need for the public to supervise both the government and the anti-corruption campaign, Zhang said.
The premier also called on officials to abide by the constitution and respect the law.
"A common phenomenon of corruption is rent-seeking. That is why we need to streamline [officials'] power to strengthen clean governance," Li said.
"We will firmly eliminate the room for rent-seeking and we will make efforts to remove the soil for corruption."
Li said the government would develop new regulations, oppose extravagance, fight corruption and work actively and diligently for the people.
He said it would also delegate more powers, within government and to society.
Provincial-level governments would be required to make their lists of powers and responsibilities open to the public, he said.
