TARGETING FAMILIES AND AIDES IN ANTI-CORRUPTION
The 18th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, the top anti-graft body, is to hold its sixth plenary session in January for its new year anti-graft plan. The CPC's new disciplinary regulation will also take effect starting from Jan. 1.
Thus the democratic life meeting gave some experts a glimpse into the direction of future anti-corruption efforts.
At the meeting, misconduct of former officials, including Zhou Yongkang, Bo Xilai, Xu Caihou, Guo Boxiong and Ling Jihua, was brought up to remind party members that they might as well lose Party spirit, a generalized term to refer to the qualification of a Party member, if they relax self-discipline.
Both Bo and Ling were members of the political bureau when they were investigated for graft while Zhou was a former member of the political bureau standing committee.
Using their corruption cases, Xi urged party members to strictly educate, manage and supervise their family members, children and working staff close to them.
Family members usually play a role in the corruption of officials, said Xin Ming from the Party School of the CPC Central Committee. For instance, many officials refuse to take bribes, letting their spouses do it instead, said Xin.
It is the same for the close aides of corrupt officials. Many of Zhou's former secretaries and aides were implicated as the investigation went on.
"By seriously investigating their misconduct and punishing them accordingly, the Party honors its responsibility to itself, to the country, the people, and history," said a news release issued after the meeting.
"The Party spirit does not grow with ages, rather, it requires members to constantly improve and temper themselves," it said.
Xu Yaotong from the Chinese Academy of Governance, said though the anti-graft campaign has borne outstanding results, it still needs long-term efforts to form a system in which officials "don't want to be corrupt, dare not to be corrupt and can't be corrupt even if they want to."
The CPC needs continued high-handed anti-corruption efforts in the new year to consolidate its ruling status, said Xu.
