The White Temple Town story: what happens after account transparency

Contributed by Ying Jiang
Source: www.zaobao.com

白庙乡位于巴中市巴州区东北部山区，1万1000余人中农村人口约占95.5%。2009年全乡农民人均纯收入3393元，属于典型的边远贫穷 乡，经济运行主要靠财政转移支付。该乡目前最急需解决饮水问题，资金缺口达130万元，道路加宽的资金缺口达480万，电力改造需要资金约1000万元， 三项加起来共需资金1600万元。
White Temple Town (WTT) is situated in the mountainous regions of Bazhong City in Sichuan Province. Rural population constitutes 95.5% of its population of around 11000. In 2009, the average income per farmer is 3393RMB, making the town one of those typical remote, impoverished towns. Its main source of income depends on the wealth redistribution policies from the central government. The town needs up to 1.3 million RMB for badly needed improvements on potable water sources. Other than that, it needs around 4.8 M and 10 M for widening roads and reforms in electricity supply networks, totaling its need for capital to 16 M RMB.
实施公开政府财务和公务员财产申报以衡量领导干部是否廉洁自律一直是中国百姓密切关注的问题。今年三月，巴中市白庙乡政府把使用的每一分钱，甚 至是花1.50元（人民币，三角新元）买信纸，都在其官方网站上公开。此举当时获网友盛赞并称之为“政府全裸第一例”。
The publicizing of government accounts and government employees' wealth reports as a measure of corruption is everyone's concern in China. In March this year, White Temple Town council reported every single cent of government expenditure, eg even a sum of 1.50 RMB for envelopes, on its official website. The action has won intense praises from netizens, who called it the first example of a "fully naked government".
自今年三月全国“两会”，政府‘裸’账本已成为一种趋势，中央、广州、北京等地都陆续公开财政预算。白庙乡所属的四川省前天也首次通过省政府网站把 2010年省级预算报表公之于众。然而，有专家批评，白庙乡的“账目”浅白易懂，而其他地方政府出于自身利益的考虑，把预算案搞得犹如“天书”，内行看不 明白，外行更看不懂。
Since then, "going naked" on the accounts has become a trend, where the central, Guangzhou, Beijing governments have published their budgetary outlays. Sichuan province, to which WTT belongs, has also done the same just two days ago. However, critics have stated that while WTT's "account book" are easily understood, some of the other provincial governments have turned their budget statements into a document of mystery out of self-interests. Neither people who are in the trade (accountants?) nor those who are out of it are able to understand it.
白庙乡“裸账”的目的是希望能吸引更多的资金和项目。全国目光聚焦到这个偏远的山村以后，当地老 百姓对自己民生问题的改善寄予了更高的期望，他们迫切希望解决水、电、路等问题。然而，过去两个多月，白庙乡政府向有关部门争取项目和资金，却少有回音， 来白庙乡的上级部门人员与以往相比减少了一半。
WTT was hoping to attract more investment with its account transparency. While its act has indeed attracted the attention of the entire nation, and has raised townspeople's expectations for their standard of living (in terms of solving problems of water, roads and electricity), the WTT government has been failing to obtain capital and projects these past two months. Officials who visit the town has reduced by half.
由于饭钱酒钱烟钱全公开，白庙乡乡长欧明清告诉《四川在线》，即使有上级官员到访，70%以上的客人都是来去匆匆，没有在白庙乡吃饭。... 欧明清认为，“裸账”让很多客人望而生畏，生怕自己的生活费开支被公示在网上。
Since the expenses for meals, alcohol and cigarettes are now made public, the Chief of WWT Ou Mingqing thinks that "going naked" brings fear to many of the clients, whose "living expenses" might be made known to all netizens. Even as officials visit, 70% of the clients rushed to get back and did not stay in the town for meals.

一名不愿透露身份的重庆学者告诉本报， 白庙乡的基层领导勇于尝试，大方向是对的，做实在事，遭遇如此尴尬后果非常不幸，但可以理解。他说：“公开财政的核心在于减少官员腐败的实现途径和方式， 也巩固政府执政的合法性。然而，基于一些利益上的交换，这样透明地公开财政让企业或政府单位难以接受，要扩散到全国的挑战非常大。”

A scholar in Chongqing commented that while WWT's grassroot leaders have been courageous, and are correct in general directions (of policy) by being honest, it is unfortunate though understandable that they obtained the opposite of what they hoped for. "Publicizing expenditures is a means to reduce corruption, and consolidates the legitimacy of the governments' rule. However, due to (a web of) exchanges of interests, such account transparency is hard for enterprises and government agencies to accept. There remains great challenges to implementation to the entire country."