Not surprisingly, the top anti-corruption watchdog has once again acted to forestall possible malpractices involving the use of public money to buy moon cakes and other gifts during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays as part of its ongoing campaign against extravagance and corruption.
On Sept 6, the publicity department of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection issued a circular, urging publicity departments at various levels under the CCDI to effectively monitor the practice of giving expensive gifts like luxurious moon cakes during the festival.
Considering that various types of malpractices involving public funds - for example, officials using public money to buy gifts during festivals and national holidays - continued in the past despite the authorities' severe warnings, a series of alerts issued by the top Party discipline watchdog and its renewed crackdown on such illegal activities are welcome.
Such regular crackdowns on extravagance and corruption, especially during "high-risk periods" - usually in the run-up to major festivals and holidays - are necessary because they demonstrate the serious and consistent attitude of the leadership toward the series of measures it has introduced since late 2012 to end the lavish lifestyle of and advocate frugality among Party and government officials. In the public's eyes, such a campaign constitutes part of a broad range of steps toward building a clean and austere Party and government.
However, the campaign against extravagance and corruption should not be interpreted as an all-inclusive ban on normal welfare services and assistance traditionally extended by employers to employees such as festival gifts to enhance cohesion and build a better labor-capital relationship.
Due to fears of being linked to extravagance and misuse of public money, some employers have cancelled all normal welfares and benefits that used to be extended to employees during major festivals. For example, some employers have stopped the distribution of low-priced moon cakes for Mid-Autumn Festival among employees, while others have stopped gifting desk calendars and diaries for the New Year.
The cancellation of such basic welfare benefits is a deviation from the top authorities' original intention. Such acts have not only compromised employees' normal interests, but can also curtail public support for the ongoing anti-corruption drive if they go too far.
The top authorities have noticed such deviations and made clear their stance that the fight against extravagance and corruption should be differentiated from the distribution of normal welfare assistance and employers should not deny ordinary workers the normal benefits.
Last July, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions issued a notice supporting the distribution of some basic articles by employers to employees on major national holidays and festivals. In a supplementary notice issued in January, the ACFTU defined these festivals and holidays as New Year's Day, Spring Festival, Tomb-Sweeping Day, Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day, and stressed that some basic gifts compatible with the Chinese tradition can be given to employees.
Responding to public grievance over the cancellation of people's normal welfare benefits, some media outlets have criticized some employers for their wrong understanding of the anti-corruption campaign. Therefore, employers, especially State-owned enterprises, should not misread the spirit of the central authorities' campaign.
Traditionally, Chinese people have been buying moon cakes during Mid-Autumn Festival not only for their families, but also to gift them to relatives and friends as a show of goodwill and gratitude. It is also a Chinese tradition for employers to give some gifts to employees during festivals.
What the top authorities are opposed to is not normal public consumption of moon cakes, but the squandering of taxpayers' money by civil servants to buy them. The ongoing anti-corruption campaign is aimed at preventing the misuse of public money, curbing extravagance and fighting corruption, not to offer an excuse for denying employees their normal welfare assistance and benefits.
The author, Fang Zhou, is a senior writer with China Daily.
