Sex scandals not enough to fight graft

A sex video, infidelity and accusations of rape recently exposed on the Internet have pushed several government officials at high-level posts to the forefront of public criticism.

Lei Zhengfu, a top district official in the city of Chongqing who was confirmed to be in a widely circulated sex tape leaked by self-proclaimed journalist Zhu Ruifeng, as well as Sun Dejiang, a local legislator from Heilongjiang province who has been accused of rape by a female journalist, have both been removed from their positions.

In a way, these cases have helped boost public confidence in the country's efforts to fight corruption, as the exposure of the scandals has been widely discussed and local governments have responded quickly.

But will it take more than just the "Helens" of China to reveal and punish corrupt officials.

Eye-catching extramarital affairs are just a small part of officials' wrongdoing. The fundamental question is how they have abused their power to amass wealth or obtain favors.

To prevent power abuse, a better mechanism must be created to limit the power of officials and make it easier for people to expose corruption, thus giving officials something to fear.

One of the most potentially effective measures calls for making officials' assets public knowledge. There are signs this may occur in the foreseeable future.

During the 18th CPC National Congress held last month, Yu Zhengsheng, now a member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee, the Party's top decision-making body, promised to make his financial status public if required. Several other officials have made similar remarks.

The southern province of Guangdong is planning to launch a pilot campaign that asks local government officials to report their relatives' assets and make them public to a certain amount of people.

If the campaign goes smoothly and is implemented nationwide, it will be a milestone in the Party's fight against corruptions.

At the same time, it is equally important to build a better channel for ordinary people to make their voices heard without risking negative or even violent repercussions.

Thanks to the Internet, this is becoming easier, although the sheer amount of information available online has made it difficult for the government to chase down leads. Only massive exposures, such as Lei's sex video, are enough to convince the government to take action.

The Internet also makes protection of privacy more difficult, as anything can be posted online without being verified first.

The traditional practice of petitioning, where people go to higher authorities to seek justice for wrongs committed by lower-level officials, needs to be reinforced.

Local governments should be prohibited from interfering with petitioning, as their interference could very well constitute a criminal act.

A specific law regarding corruption should also be worked on. Current laws describe corruption as a criminal act, but more detailed interpretations of the terms are needed to guide judges in hearing each cases.

With laws in place, more independence should be given to procuratorates and judiciary bodies to avoid administrative interference. Again, this calls for the containment of official power.

China's leaders have offered hope to the country's people, but more efforts are needed to make their promises ring true.