Corruption with feng shui(2)

Sima Nan, a renowned Maoist scholar, told the Global Times Tuesday that after the reform and opening-up policy was instituted in the late 1970s, these strictly secular beliefs were confronted with increased ideological diversity, which resulted in a crisis of faith and "confusion." He said that this meant people forgot the egalitarian tenets of communism and instead adopted utilitarian belief systems.

"This confusion made them weak when facing corruption or temptation or difficulties in their careers. As there was no one to seek advice from, they turned to practitioners of superstition," Sima said.

A retired official, over 70 years of age, from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, told the Global Times on condition of anonymity that officials nowadays are not as "pure" in their thought and have more temptation to make "mistakes" than before due to the development of the economy. He said there should to be some kind of strategy to prompt officials to consider these issues more.

Ren said that the solution to the issue was increased fairness and transparency in terms of selecting officials. "In China, there are lots of uncertain factors when it comes to being promoted within government, as the selection process is more likely to be influenced by kinds of 'talent scouts' rather than a fair and open system," he said, adding that this meant that officials always feel uncertain and confused about their duties as a civil servant. "One day, an official can be in the good graces of these 'scouts' thanks to good networking, but on the next they can be shut out without knowing the reason," Ren said. "Some turn to the supernatural to learn their fortune and seek out shortcuts for wealth and promotion."

Rooting out corruption

A 2007 report from the Chinese Academy of Governance showed that 52 percent of Chinese county-level civil servants admitted to believing in superstition and divination.

Cheng Ping, a professor at the academy who led the survey, said that the popularity of these superstitions is the result of pressure on officials to develop skills that would aid them in getting promoted, such as networking, strategy and tactics, rather than serving the people and working hard.

She said corrupt officials often turned out to be superstitious.

Ren echoed Cheng, saying that superstitions can be the cause of corruption or power abuse, and that some officials even tried to use superstition as an excuse to accept bribery.

Sima said that with the recent anti-corruption campaign in China becoming more severe, many corrupt officials hope that feng shui can help them cover their tracks, but said that obviously it wouldn't help.

Experts also pointed out that corruption can be punished, but proving a link between superstition and corruption would be difficult, and punishing officials for believing in superstitions was a difficult prospect, despite the fact that most CPC members are atheists.

Ultimately, Sima and Ren put forward different solutions, with Sima suggesting further ideological education to guard against superstitious beliefs, while Ren proposed reform to the selection system for officials.