Anger at Guangdong deputy's remark officials entitled to privacy on assets
Claim that officials are entitled to privacy over their assets does not go down well on Net
A Guangdong People's Congress deputy has sparked controversy by saying officials are not slaves to the people and they should not have to declare their assets.
"Officials are civil servants, not slaves to the people," deputy Ye Pengzhi, the head of an aluminium extrusion manufacturer, said on Thursday at a preparatory meeting for the annual gathering of the provincial congress, the Nanfang Daily reported.
"Officials need privacy in the same way that sick people get privacy for their medical records when they seek treatment. Is there even a legal basis for requiring officials to publicly declare their assets?"
Ye said the Communist Party already had plenty of ways to monitor officials, and declaring assets internally should suffice.
He then suggested a lottery approach, with officials only required to declare their assets if their names were picked out in a random draw.
Ye's comments sparked an outcry among internet users.
Public calls for a system requiring party officials to disclose their assets have risen since the new leadership pledged to crack down on corruption.