Degreed officials shirk responsibility, local leaders react

Local village officials with college degrees (cunguan) in Puyang, Henan Province, have been skipping out on their shifts to work in urban areas, according to a recent report by local authorities.

Some cunguan only visit the villages they serve every other month, and some simply live in other cities, completely unaware of local issues. Others fail to respond to residents' concerns and are not familiar with many villagers, said the document.

The report, written by the Party organization department in Puyang, investigated about 100 cunguan, China Youth Daily reported on Sunday.

Across the city, the department conducted a six-month survey of 438 out of 1,865 cunguan concerning their work and found that 30 officials with college degrees did no work in rural areas. Twenty-four of the 30 were fired.

The investigation was prompted by a complaint that the committee received from a Web user saying that many Nanle county cunguan never went to work. What's worse, in order to avoid punishment, the e-mail said, they bribed their superiors so they could work in cities.

Earlier this month, the Party organization department called on relevant authorities in Nanle county to undertake a thorough investigation and to address any problems.

Several township officials in Puyang take advantage of loopholes so that cunguan can get away with shirking their responsibilities. Some of these degreed officials apply for long-term leave or completely ignore their duties, according to an anonymous official from the department.

"These cunguan have a negative influence on their peers, and they must be severely punished," he was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

Cunguan have shown a mixed reaction to the steps taken by Puyang authorities.

Li Wei, a cunguan in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, said for three years, he remained at his post and worked every day. However, today he only visits the village once every four months.

"I'm not a local, and I can't integrate with the locals," Li was quoted by the newspaper as saying, adding he disagreed with measures laid out by Puyang officials.

Meanwhile, Wu Zhongtao, a cunguan in Nanwang village in Houma, Shanxi Province, hailed the action taken by Puyang authorities.

"Cunguan should get to know the villagers and the towns they represent," he said.

Wu said he knows 98 percent of the 600 villagers in Nanwang and has kept up good relations with them, according to the newspaper.