App ups public's supervision

The free app of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, is available in Apple's App Store and in various Android stores, as well as on the commission's website. The app makes it easier for anyone to submit tipoffs about suspected corruption. WANG ZHUANGFEI/CHINA DAILY

The public may soon have a more effective way to evaluate government employees, as a new app promises to offer a platform for people to make comments on officials they have to deal with for business purposes.

The fledging app, which has been developed by a lawyer, is similar to the popular dianping.com website that allows diners to express their opinions on the quality of dishes and services offered by restaurants. The new app is designed to collect public opinions on government staff and then regularly send these opinions in the form of registered letters to the State departments the government employees work for and to the discipline watchdogs.

The app, if widely applied, is expected to open a more convenient channel for public monitoring of officials and prompt them to improve their working style.

Although the authorities have made efforts to improve the working style of government employees and reduce redundant administrative procedures for the sake of higher efficiency, it is still not uncommon for ordinary people to encounter excessive red tape and even deliberate hassles from government employees, particularly those at the grassroots level.

The existing official monitoring facilities provide people with outlets to report the bad behavior of government employees to relevant State agencies, but they have proved ineffective in dealing with those officials who make such "minor mistakes".

The new app will help collect more timely public feedback on the working style of government employees and promote more effective public oversight.

Given the powerful and omnipresent public supervision it represents, whether the app will encounter obstacles in its use and what those obstacles may be remain unknown. Yet the authorities should not hesitate to extend support to the app given that it does not conflict with the government's continuing efforts to strengthen the public's monitoring of government work.