By Zhang Xixi
The Ministry of Railways received 90 marks out of 100 concerning the handling of railroad transportation during the blizzards which hit most of southern China at the beginning of this year, Lu Dongfu, vice minister of railways, recently told reporters. One reason for the lost points was the poor transportation capabilities during the blizzards, according to him.
The man on the left represents the Ministry of Railways, which is being criticized for overrating its performance. The man on the right represents the National Audit Office (NAO) which won respect from the public for its prudent self-evaluation.
"I got 70 marks out of 100 in my job, as well as from the audit work by the National Audit Office (NAO)," said Li Jinhua in his last interview as the auditor-general of NAO, the country's public finance monitor.
Why are the two government departments so different in their self evaluations?
70 is just above the passing level, which shows the modesty and courtesy of the auditor-general and his regret at the unsatisfactory audit work. Most netizens and commentators understand the prudent evaluation without questioning. The public knows that the audit work is not easy and they have showed their respect to the auditor-general.
Some believe the Ministry of Railways was too confident in marking its performance. On the internet, the ministry has been described as "one who blows its own trumpet", and some netizens even believe that the ministry should get 90 marks out of 200. The netizens believe the public has sharp eyes. Why didn't the Ministry of Railways allow the common people to give marks?