Higher-level officials under Chinese media scrutiny(2)

A VOICE AND A DEAF EAR

The Commentary Section of the People's Daily echoed the criticism voiced on its microblogging account over the Lankao fire on Wednesday, saying some government departments always shun public enquiries, citing excuses such as the "absence of people in charge."

"It is hard for them to change their work styles," said the paper, which boasts a circulation of more than 3 million and is regarded as a barometer of the political climate of Chinese society.

The incident involving the ministry comes amid a massive national campaign to implement the requirements on transforming officials' work style that were put forth by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, in December 2012.

"The CPC Central Committee urged the change in officials' work style, but why is it so hard (for the ministry) to give a response?" one microblog post from the People's Daily asked.

The post had been forwarded and commented upon thousands of times as of Wednesday, with some netizens quoting senior CPC leaders' words to put pressure on the ministry.

"Problems are the voice of times," wrote an anonymous web user at Sina.com, quoting Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

"Why has the ministry turned a deaf ear?" the user asked, showing support for the People's Daily's scrutiny.

Though applauding the media scrutiny, experts say it still falls short of meeting people's expectations.

"The media definitely have a bigger role to play in 'advocating the good and punishing the bad,'" said Professor Fang Yanming.