People's Daily targets dishonest leaders

Some leaders in China fabricate statistics and engage in other dishonest behavior to stay in power, the People's Daily said in an editorial Monday. "In some regions or public organizations, leaders are engaged in lying, empty talk, fabricating statistics or trumping up political achievements," the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China said. The editorial, carried by the Xinhua news agency, said some leaders turn "a blind eye to social problems while reporting nothing but good news to superiors; covering up mistakes made in work; fabricating statistics to overstate political achievements." The reason for the timing of the editorial was not clear but the Chinese government has been cracking down on official corruption. The actions of some leaders hold back regional development and hurt the "credibility of the CPC (Communist Party) and the government," the editorial said. "As they care not about doing work, but about being promoted, they only court attention from their superiors rather than solve problems for the public." The party paper urged the public to demand honest leaders who speak the truth and work in a down-to-earth manner.