CPC newspaper blasts bureaucracy as 'lingering ghost'

BEIJING - A flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China in a strong-worded op-ed on Monday blasted bureaucracy that haunted some Party officials long as "lingering ghost."

It is the latest among a slew of editorial pieces carried by the People's Daily after the CPC launched a high-profile, year-long "thorough cleanup" campaign against undesirable work styles last week.

Listing a number of aspects and practices that embodied bureaucracy in daily work of some officials, the article called bureaucracy a "political disease" that is highly deplored by the public.

More than 70 years ago, CPC leader Mao Zedong compared bureaucratists to "mythical statues made from mud," which "remained seated and couldn't be of any help," according to the Daily.

Now bureaucracy takes new forms and still exists in some Party officials like a "lingering ghost," it commented.

The article said the origin of the recurring bureaucratic practices among certain authorities is a weakened value of exercising power for the people among some officials.

In a keynote speech that set the tone for campaign last week, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, has stressed furthering Party-people ties.

"Winning or losing public support is an issue that concerns the CPC's survival or extinction," Xi stressed.