Treating officials to banquets no longer proper

A volunteer from Fu Hui Education Foundation distributes the school equipment to the students at Tuojue Central School in Butuo county, Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province, Oct 24, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

An entrepreneur in Hefei, capital of Central China's Anhui province, donated 1,200 yuan ($185.6) each to 30 poor students in a local school. However, the school asked each child to spend 200 yuan on a banquet for the entrepreneur, the school officials and local government officials. The school principal later told reporters that he returned the money. Yangtze Daily asks when will the old practice of holding banquets for officials be curbed?

Of course, it was wrong for the school principal to do this and it was an abuse of power. Reports say he has now been removed from office, but the real issue is the feasts for officials are still regarded as an indispensable part of a lot of activities.

What happened in the school is not unique. Every year at Spring Festival, officials will visit poor families in their communities and give them subsidies using public funds; but there have long been reports about poor families being asked to spend part of the subsidies they get in treating the officials to feasts.

The practice of holding banquets for officials was quite popular in the past years when corruption was rather rampant; now, even though the anti-graft campaign is in full swing, the idea of treating officials to a feast after every activity is still deeply rooted in many people's minds. They might want to express gratitude, but it is illegal for officials to ask them to do so.

It might take a long time for such distorted thinking to disappear. In order to curb the practice, officials at various levels need to change their behavior. Officials can send subsidies, or entrepreneurs send donations, using digital means, instead of holding ceremonies and handing out the money in person. Subsidies are social welfare while donations represent kindness; please do not taint them with improper deeds.