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China Openly Recruits Department-Level Officials
"Vote for me! Trust me to be capable of filling the post of deputy director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau!"
The campaign speech by the first candidate Xu Jinhui Wednesday morning drew overwhelming applause from the 400-some audience in the meeting hall of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP).
As of that day, 86 mid-level SPP officials and prosecutors from Beijing started to openly compete for 16 positions at higher department levels in the SPP, including the deputy head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau and head of department for the prevention of malfeasance.
An open election for such high level officials on a large scale is the first in a central authority department in China. According to the Ministry of Personnel, this practice is to be followed by other central authority departments soon.
"I prosecuted China's top tobacco giant Chu Shijian for corruption." "I participated in the prosecution team against Hu Changqing, the first ever provincial government official to be executed." "I was responsible for the investigation of 21 cases in the Xiamen smuggling scandal." "I cracked a four-million-yuan corruption case."
Six candidates for the post of deputy chief of the anti-corruption bureau did their utmost to show off their advantages and capabilities.
Zhang Jianju, the fifth speech-maker, surprised the judges and audience by exposing his shortcomings first.
"I didn't go to college when I was young, and I am afraid that I'm not as good as those who did," he said. However, he quickly added: "Since I have studied many subjects in addition to law, such as economics and accounting, I have a special advantage in handling economic crimes."
His unusual tactic also won thunderous applause.
Of the 400 people crowding the meeting hall, 13 were high-level judges, 37 were staff members of the anti-corruption bureau, more than 40 were journalists, and the others were from other departments of the SPP.
In addition to a speech, each competitor had to respond to questions from judges. One question was as follows:
"People are complaining that corruption is bad, and the corruption of anti-corruption officials is worse. What is your comment on this, and what will you do if you get the post?"
Most admitted that such complaints are justified, and the situation of judicial corruption is really shocking in some places.
Some pledged to step up supervision; others said they would enhance the professional ethics of prosecutors.
Each competitor was assessed by the judges, and subject to a vote by staff members of the department he wanted to take over. The SPP would make a final judgment after an overall consideration of various factors.
According to the SPP, 130 section chief positions will also be open for public competition after the department heads are appointed, accounting for nearly 80 percent of all the official positions in the SPP.
"I'm really glad that I attended the competition," said Xu Haifa, the third campaigner, after his speech.
"Opening such a high level anti-corruption position for public competition is a measure to prevent corruption in public administration," he added.
A 50-year-old staff member of the Anti-Corruption Bureau said that "official selection used to be a matter of 'choosing among the privileged few by the more privileged fewer."
"The new mechanism is bringing fresh air to the dreary offices, and the lifeless bureaucratic work style is dying out," he commented.
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