Frozen in power vacuum

Chairs are empty in a meeting room during a break at the 18th CPC National Congress in Beijing on November 8, 2012. Photo: Wu Gang/GT

Questions over status of governments as local leaders probed

Guangzhou, South China's economic hub, has been functioning without a government leader for nearly two months now following the fall of its former Party chief over graft allegations.

"Frozen" was the term used by a Guangzhou official in describing the current circumstances of the city government after Wan Qingliang, former Guangzhou Party chief, was announced to be under investigation by anti-graft watchdog Communist Party of China's (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on June 27.

The Party chief is usually the top leader of local authorities.

The city has been under heavy scrutiny by analysts since then, but no sign of a successor has been observed so far.

A report by The Economic Observer newspaper indicates that the Guangzhou government is currently "frozen," as all personnel adjustments of promotion, resignation, rotation, and even request for early retirement have to be put on hold.

"The case of Wan is not closed yet and it is not clear how many people who remain in the government are involved in his case," an insider in Guangzhou government's organization department told the Beijing-based The Economic Observer.

He added that all public servants' overseas trips require approval from upper levels of government to prevent those who are linked to the case from fleeing to escape investigation.

Leaderless

Guangzhou is not the only city that has sprouted fears of a power vacuum amid China's ongoing anti-graft probes that have extended to government officials of all levels.

Several local governments in China have been left without top leaders for weeks or even months after their chiefs were hauled away for corruption investigations.

At least four provinces including Jiangxi, Hainan and Shanxi are currently bereft of top leaders since their former chiefs have been hauled away in recent months. The clear-out came after the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012 when Party leader Xi Jinping announced the nationwide anti-graft campaign, according to a report by the Beijing Times newspaper. Three cities, Kunming, Sanya and Yuncheng, are also currently functioning without Party chiefs.

Kunming Party chief Zhang Tianxin, who led the largest city of Yunnan Province, was fired from his post on July 12 over allegations of violating Party discipline, a term usually referring to corruption.

Earlier in June, Wang Maoshe, who was Party chief of Yuncheng in Shanxi Province, came under investigation and his name was erased from the city government's website, Shanghai-based news portal thepaper.cn said.

Sanya, a popular tourist destination, has not had a top leader for over seven months, according to thepaper.cn, since former Party chief Jiang Sixian was transferred to Shanghai as deputy director of the city's municipal people's congress last December.

Vacancies left at central or local legislatures or advisory bodies are less likely to be filled immediately, reports said. At least 17 out of the 40 sub-provincial or above leaders removed came from the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference or People's Congress. These vacancies may not be filled until later this year when national or local committees hold meetings to decide the personnel change.

State-owned businesses have also been affected. More than 50 people working for or related to the China National Petroleum Corporation had been probed as of the end of July.

Multiple overseas projects of CNPC have been affected, including some multi-billion-dollar projects, since the personnel changes started last year, according to sohu.com.

Song Yiwu, the deputy general manager of CNPC Exploration and Development Company, who was in charge of the company's overseas programs, was among the investigated as he was detained in June.

No loss of efficiency

Government operations have not been affected despite the power vacuum, according to analysts.

There is no rule on the time limit of the vacancy, but temporary replacements will surely be arranged, Peking University School of Government professor Yan Jirong was quoted as saying by the news website thepaper.cn.

Yan's view is shared by Wang Yukai, a professor with the Chinese Academy of Governance.

"The vacancies will not create a significant impact as a whole, as their subordinates will take over the job duties once the top bosses are removed," noted Wang.

In Sanya's case, Wang Yong, the deputy Party chief and mayor of Sanya, has been working in his former Party chief's place after his transfer to Shanghai.

Wang Yukai added that the replacement of top leaders requires extra careful deliberation, which explains the lasting vacuum.

In contrast, Tianjin found replacement an easy task, as a new chief was assigned just four days after the investigation of former Tianjin police chief Wu Changshun was announced on July 20.

Wang, the expert on governance, also said this is normal too.

"The graft probes started long before [they were announced], so during the investigation, the central government [in some cases] would simultaneously look for replacement so as fill the gap quickly," explained Wang.

"The government has been functioning properly as a whole. The government is currently selecting candidates fit for the roles of important positions, which may require transfers from across the country," said Wang.

"It is the most important to select the right candidates so as to avoid the same mistakes from happening again," he said.

A commentary in the China Youth Daily said that transparency to the public is essential so as to curb power abuse that came along with the vacuum.

"It is essential to lay out operational rules for the temporary person-in-charge while the top job is left vacant so as to avoid a power vacuum," said the opinion piece.

"The governments should also make information regarding the remit of the local chief open to the public so as to hold related officials accountable for their duties."