4 features arise in buying or selling official posts, expert

The wholesale of "official posts" signals the upgrade of corruption. An article reported recently that a court was held in Sichuan to deal with the biggest case in selling official posts there. In view of the rampancy of corrupt phenomena in recent years, Hu Xingdou, specialized in the research of fighting corruption, had an exclusive interview with a People's Daily reporter and analyzed the phenomena of the current buying and selling official posts in China and pointed out four features newly appeared. Hu is a professor with Beijing University of Science and Engineering.

Scope enlargement

The phenomena of buying official posts were seldom appeared at the beginning of 1990s. In recent years, the wind is getting stronger with broader scope. One of the reasons is: the cadre who buys official posts is bound to be a corrupt one. Once he gets an official post he will certainly recoup the capital and makes profits in the fastest speed and in the shortest time. For example, if a corrupt official at the provincial level sells out three official posts, then the three local officials may likely to sell out 13 official posts. Then the 13 officials will sell out 30 official posts at the county level.

Business marketization

The so-called marketization means there exist buyers and sellers. They can have transactions at any time. There are peak season and low season. The knock-down price will be differed according to different areas, time and human relations. And the transaction rate is high. Generally speaking, there is no holiday and weekend for the market. It is not like the tangible commodity market that closes at six in the afternoon. The transaction will be more brisk in holidays and in the evenings. The transaction site may be at leader's office or at the leader's home. The deal can be made at other times. However, when running for office the peak season for trade will come. For a same official post the transaction price will be differed with different areas, time and human relations. Sometimes there is a great price gap. If we review the exposed cases of buying and selling official posts in recent years, we will be set on guard that the trade has been rapidly shifted to the seller's market from the buyer's market.

Diversified ways

Although the transaction of buying and selling official posts is mainly made in cash. However there are other trade ways. For the investors, they pay attention to feelings at other times. When festivals come, they will bring cigarettes, wine, fruit and other native products for paying a visit to their leaders. As a result they have better relations with the leaders and at last they can get official posts. Some take leaders' wives and children as target while others try to meet with what leaders want. If leaders like curios they will buy some for them; if leaders like painting and calligraphy they will offer them with what they want; if leaders like to play mahjong they will try to lose the game on purpose and if the leaders are promiscuous men they will try to find attracting women with high price to offer.

In addition, the ways of transaction have been diversified. They include inviting leaders to go abroad for visit; accompanying the family members of leaders for a trip; funding children of leaders in studying overseas; giving cash to leaders when they cut the ribbon for certain ceremonies; leaders will be offered with fees when they write inscriptions and leaders will be provided with fees when they make speech.

Amount on a scale

In recent years, individual conducting buying and selling official post has become a common practice and selling three or five official posts has become common occurrence. Sometimes the phenomena of wholesaling official posts also happen.

For example, a director of the Leizhou Bureau of Water Conservancy in Guangdong Province surnamed as Lin learned on September 30, 1997 that he would be moved to other post. After the National Day the first thing Lin would do was to hold a meeting of the leading squad and "made research" in personnel affairs. In more than one hour six decisions on personnel appointment and disposal were made involving 47 cadres. The wholesaling "official posts" in the shortest time and in the fastest speed signals the upgrade of corruption, which shows that how frantic the wholesaling may become when the power is unrestrained.

By People's Daily Online