Responsiveness and accountability must go hand in hand

As China prepares to host the Olympics next month, the communist leadership tries to do everything in its power to cultivate the image of an orderly and well-governed nation it wants the world to see. But the outbursts of anger directed at public officials continue. In two recent incidents, more than 30,000 people rioted in Guizhou province over an alleged cover-up of a teenage girls’ death, and after a migrant worker was allegedly beaten by the police in Zhejiang province, hundreds of other workers attacked a police local station.

While the government’s response to social discontent so far has mostly consisted of heavy-handed practices, Chinese leaders are trying to project a new approach. Recently, the government has told local leaders to be on alert to public grievances and find ways to resolve them.

The order is the most recent in a series of calls reflecting the government’s apparent concern over rising social inequality, rampant corruption and the weak legal system. The latest order to resolve conflicts made no mention of specific instructions on how to do so and appeared to follow an all too common trend whereby the government strives to appear responsive without exposing the party to direct criticism or making officials more accountable to the public.

Therein lies the government’s problem. By definition, it cannot be more responsive to its people without greater transparency and accountability. If the lack of transparency continues to fuel covering up for blunders and negligence of public officials, how can truly improved responsiveness be achieved? If the lack of accountability makes mass protests the only available tool for exposing corruption and abuse, how can the Chinese people possibly feel that the government takes responsiveness seriously?

The state-run China Daily paper said that the latest “unprecedented move … shows the central leadership is paying more attention to public complaints.” But is it really? Calling for greater responsiveness that is not accompanied by greater transparency or accountability can’t be much more than a short-lived publicity stunt.