China kicks out 160,000 fake government staff: report

BEIJING (AFP) - China has taken 160,000 "phantom" government staff off its official payroll who were receiving salaries despite not doing any work, state-media reported on Monday.

A total of 162,629 officials who were taking government wages without working have been removed in a nationwide campaign over the last year, the People’s Daily newspaper said.

The province of Hebei in northern China saw the largest number of such officials, according to the paper, with nearly 56,000 identified.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched a high-profile campaign against rampant corruption and misuse of government funds, in the face of widespread public anger.

Critics say the campaign has been hampered by a lack of fundamental reforms, such as the creation of an independent legal system.

"The problem of government staff receiving salaries without working has been one of the problems most keenly reported by cadres," the People’s Daily said.

China’s official Xinhua news agency called the sacked workers "phantom officials".

So far no such "phantom officials" have been found in the commercial hub of Shanghai or in Tibet, the People’s Daily added.

The officials involved would be punished, it said, without giving details.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-10-06

Thailand take note !

"The problem of government staff receiving salaries without working has been one of the problems most keenly reported by cadres," the Peoples Daily said.

No reports of government staff receiving salaries without working here in Thailand. ..I guess this must be specifically a Chinese problem.

First fake goods now fake government officials...what's next?

That's a huge number of fake workers!!

How do they conjure up so many positions I wonder?

By any chance, could that be their police force? Just asking? Seemed appropriate.

That's a huge number of fake workers!!

How do they conjure up so many positions I wonder?

Very easy Kris.

Ask me about the Greek civil servants, a lot of them having 2 or 3 jobs in different government departments and paid for all 3 separately for scratching their balls all day.

Others never go to work, but get their pay cheque at the end of the month.

This is what they are trying to stop in Greece, don't know if they succeed.

So the China number doesn't surprize me.

That's a huge number of fake workers!!

How do they conjure up so many positions I wonder?

1.4 billion people in China.

Apparently, they don't have inactive posts in China.

I only wish they would take a broom to the Australian governments.state federal and local

I envision a fake worker, wearing a fake lacoste shirt and fake Levy jeans, fake Nike's runners

holding a fake IPhone, using a fake credit card and sipping on a fake Starbook Latte...

Aha.. what a world we live in...

Were these people just lost in the shuffle or was it something more dubious ? How are ghost official created in Thailand or is that a stupid question ?

That's an awful lot of fakirs

And how many are in inactive posts here in Thailand bludging on the system? Or do they equate sitting in a dark room playing solitaire as working?

Bob A. Relaxed in Lampang

its scary to think if China has its own "democracy" corruptions and these phantom officials will more than double.

"... the campaign has been hampered by a lack of fundamental reforms, such as the creation of an independent legal system."

That is a basic problem with Communism - there cannot be an independent legal system for the one-party political system. The government is dominanted by the Communist Party through the control of the unelected politburo (sound familiar?) and the nomination of candidates for government office (sound familiar?). It would be like a dictator allowing an independent military force to operate independent of the State as a check and balance against the State's military-not ever going to happen.

One fault of communism is that it lacks an institutional check and balance system that allows corruption and nepotism to spawn unimpeded - in the case of China for decades.Top communist party leaders use their influence to ensure those they favor win promotion, just as a military general might favor a subordinate (sound familiar?). "No one can limit the power of the officials and the [communist] party." - Professor Cai Lihui, political analyst, Guangzhou’s Sun Yat-sen University. Vietnam is another example where one-party communist rule has led to systemic corruption and little accountability.

This is not to say that corruption doesn't exist in democracies. A democratic system does not guarantee a society that is free from corruption. But given an inviolate rule of law supported by an open and accountable judicial system, free press, open and free elections, whistleblower protections, and individual freedom of speech, democracy makes revelation of corruption more susceptible. On the other hand autocracies (one-person rule) and oligarchies (rule by a small elite group) depend on a small group of unelected financial and political supporters, the military, and bureaucracy for legitimacy and support (sound familiar?).

So China's fight against government corruption will ultimately force it into a quandary. Does China have the willingness to democracize the communist system to effectivelt attack the fundamentals of corruption or must it disguise corruption as a rule of lawto allow it to be compatible to the communist system? The Chinese are not known for quick changes in their political systems but maybe after 60 years time for change might not lie so far away.

oh that explains the ladyboy stealing from tourist must fake government worker into fake women. Now I got Thainess

160000 found now. Probably only the tip of the iceberg. Happens everywhere in the world (in governments).

Apparently, they don't have inactive posts in China.

Just not so many active posters .

Do this, ( times 10 ), in Thailand !

Do this, ( times 10 ), in Thailand !

and France..... and Greece... and...

I envision a fake worker, wearing a fake lacoste shirt and fake Levy jeans, fake Nike's runners

holding a fake IPhone, using a fake credit card and sipping on a fake Starbook Latte...

Aha.. what a world we live in...

..... all done whilst driving his fake BMW.

But I though a lot of these "fake workers" were false ID's added to the payroll so the senior managers could pocket the wages of people who do not exist?

Having people that receive wages under false pretenses is a charge that can be leveled at every Government in the world.

government staff off its official payroll who were receiving salaries despite not doing any work!

If the US government would do this...it would reduce their payroll by more than 50%...

By any chance, could that be their police force? Just asking? Seemed appropriate.

the budget for chinas police is slightly larger than its miltary budget. thsy is fact :-)

Were these people just lost in the shuffle or was it something more dubious ? How are ghost official created in Thailand or is that a stupid question ?

Ummm, stupid question. There are so many ghosts here, not sure who is a govt ghost employee sleeping in the far back of the building... or asking for 500 baht to speed up the process of doing their job.

That's an awful lot of fakirs

Yea but these fakirs were Chinese

Deport those officials to North Korea, I'm sure they will teach them how to be good laborers. Or atleast a husband for the new queen.