The streamlining of meetings can realize a double saving for the
government, says an article in Dahe Daily. The following
is an excerpt:
To streamline meetings and reduce administrative expenses, the
State Council put forward a series of suggestions including the
number of meetings, the length of conferences and speeches, the
number of participants, and the number of words in a document.
There is no need to hide the fact that many local governments
have innumerable documents and meetings, which hamper the routine
work of government officials.
What is more, tedious conferences cause an unnecessary waste of
government money. Some governments also prepare expensive souvenirs
for participants. Some civil servants travel and entertain
themselves under the pretext of participating in conferences.
All these are cases of corruption. They adversely affect the
image of the government and its staff and also arouse the
dissatisfaction of the public. From this perspective, the
streamlining of meetings also improves the image of the
government.
In fact, quite a number of local governments have been equipped
with facilities for videophone conferences and Internet
video-conferences. These facilities should be used more frequently.
It saves on expenditure. Since the central government has taken the
lead in trimming conferences, local governments have no reason to
refuse to follow suit.
(China Daily January 15, 2008)