CCDI's website feedback call to ensure transparency

The disciplinary watchdog of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is rallying public wisdom to push forward with transparent anti-corruption work and enable the public to better exercise their right of supervision.

The CPC's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) on Saturday posted a statement on its recently launched official website to invite the public to come up with ideas for improving its features, design and user experience.

With the CCDI's online platform previously only available to officials, the launch of the official site was hailed as a major move to lift the veil of secrecy from the organization and make it more approachable.

Noting that www.ccdi.gov.cn played a significant role in the country's efforts to build a clean government and fight corruption in 2013, the statement expressed hope that the site can better serve anti-graft work and meet netizens' expectations this year.

Visiting the website allows netizens to communicate with disciplinary officials.

Saturday's call for feedback was the latest in a string of moves by the CCDI to smooth communication and interaction with the public since the website was put into operation four months ago.

At its launch ceremony, Wang Qishan, head of the CCDI, noted that "as a major move to improve anti-corruption work under new circumstances, the website will be a bridge between the public and anti-corruption agencies."

It is also a channel for people to exercise their right of supervision, he added.

More measures have since been taken by the commission to improve its operation and boost transparency, such as making public the CCDI's internal institutions, showcasing tip-off procedures and inviting disciplinary officials to conduct online interviews.

The CCDI also upgraded its whistleblowing platform last week, with a banner reading "Whistleblowing Welcome" placed in a prominent position on the website.

Hundreds of cases of officials violating the "eight-point" anti-bureaucracy and formalism rule, which was introduced at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in late 2012, have been exposed on the website.

The efforts have led to a boom in real-name tip-offs in China, which has also consolidated people's confidence in combating broadly-loathed corruption.

Calling corruption a serious threat to the Party's survival, President Xi Jinpinghas vowed to fight graft and harmful work styles and has called on the entire Party to stay on full alert since he took the helm of the CPC in November 2012.

As of Monday afternoon, 66 messages related to the call for feedback had been posted on the website's message board. Suggestions include additional functions allowing the public to post follow-up comments.

"A mailbox to reach the secretary of the CCDI should be set up to boost ties between top officials of the commission and the masses," netizen "liukaitong" wrote.