(Photo: VCG)

Measure aims to enforce accountability and implement strict punishments

A new regulation to improve China's cadre selection and appointment process was released recently by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The regulation aims to strengthen political supervision, exert strict punishments on the selection and appointment of officials that violate the rules, and enforce accountability on dereliction of duty and negligence of this procedure.

The document clarifies that its rules will be applied to a wide range of government organs and entities, including organs of the Party, administrative, legislative, supervisory, judicial and procuratorial authorities, and political advisory bodies at all levels, as well as public service institutions and State-owned enterprises.

The regulation demonstrates the key points of the official selection and appointment inspections, mandates the building of a working mechanism for supervision and inspection, and orders a pre-service report for certain issues in cadre selection and appointment.

According to the regulation, situations needing to be reported to the superior personnel department include when leaders appoint and promote a cadre before they leave office, when cadres are appointed frequently within a certain period of time and when the number of cadres is beyond the quota for a special reason.

Other situations include when secretaries and other staff around leaders are promoted, relatives of leaders are promoted within the leaders' workplace, and cadres who have reached the age limit for holding office and need to postpone their retirement.

The regulation stipulates the Party secretary at the city and county levels must take an examination from a superior organization during their term of service before they leave the position or are appointed to another position.

The regulation stresses serious investigation of problems and misconduct as well as punishment for violators or those held responsible.

If the officials appointed have complaints from the public about their inability, and leaders do nothing to solve the problem, the Party committees and the leaders shall be held responsible, according to the regulation.

Jiang Laiyong, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' China Anti-Corruption Research Center, said that using the right cadres is essential to the implementation of policies, so a complete cadre selection mechanism is important.

"Due to the campaign against corruption in recent years, a new problem occurs that many cadres begin to feel pressure that some do not dare to take responsibility and do practical things, which is also a dereliction of duty," he said.

The regulation clarifies that not only the officials with problems should be held accountable but also the leaders of those officials, so as to put pressure on the leaders, he added.