The bureaucrat, the bribes and the leaky toilet

I read a lot about China earlier this month in the buildup to the Olympics (quick aside: U-S-A! U-S-A!) but did not see the story about the bureaucrat, the bribes and the leaky toilet until Thursday.

It seems a former transportation official was sentenced to death for accepting $3.2 million from builders in exchange for construction contracts. The bribes were uncovered after an apartment resident called police about water leaking from an abandoned unit above, owned by the bureaucrat. Maintenance workers discovered the water was coming from a toilet overflowing because it contained “eight cardboard boxes containing $1.3 million,” according to China’s official government news agency.

While the crime is funny, the punishment is serious. China is apparently trying to reign in corruption, according to the story, but its measures are extreme. Much like the flap over the lip-synching 7-year-old and computerized fireworks at the opening ceremonies, the toilet incident shows the Chinese government’s disturbing quest for perfection in all aspects of life no matter the cost or appearances.

Then again, I’m not sure if you can convince a totalitarian regime about the impossibility of perfection. Especially China’s leaders, who can point to one example they’ve witnessed in person for the last week: Michael Phelps.

DANNY JACOBS, The Daily Record