Office seeks to improve image with vendors
- Source: Global Times
- [03:17 November 24 2009]
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By Xu Shenglan
City officials in Hefei, Anhui Province have hired 100 workers with a college education as urban management officials, or chengguan, to help deal with street vendors and improve the image of enforcement workers. The hires were criticized by some online critics as a waste because some see those jobs as being trivial.
"The graduates work as a chengguan after more than 16 years of education, but what's the use of their knowledge?" an Internet user asked on a forum. The urban management officials are known for being at the center of controversy when they forcefully enforce rules or force street vendors to clear out. Some vendors have refused to move and accused the officers of using violence.
The 100 new workers, including 11 with master's degrees, joined the department in July, China Youth Daily reported Monday.
"The move is to improve the quality of law enforcement officials because of their negative image and brutal enforcement tactics in the past," a worker at Hefei Personnel Bureau told the Global Times.
Another worker at Hefei Urban Administrative Bureau told China Youth Daily that most of the university graduates took the jobs due to uncertainty in the labor market.
"This is at least a government department and I believe the future won't be bad," the newspaper quoted a postgraduate Zhong Hongliang as saying.
"Many classmates of mine failed to get this job." Another university graduate Tian Shoufeng said he would try to be patient when enforcing the rules.
"I will calm down to avoid disputes first and put myself in the shoes of others. Patience is really important," he said.
But law school graduate Shen Lihong said reasonable use of violence is needed on some occasions, and recalled how she was once in trouble dealing with a street vendor who mobilized other migrant workers to fight.
"Luckily, the leader of the law enforcement team arrived in time and solved the dispute," Shen recalled. "Some experienced vendors can identify the new workers and they are not afraid of us at all."
An experienced urban management official suggested that tough measures are necessary, especially against tough vendors with bad attitudes.
"Civilized law enforcement is really hard to achieve and it's just an ideal state. I'm afraid I'll act violently one day," said a new worker.
While the Hefei authority wants to improve the office's image, some questioned whether it was necessary to hire university graduates to become urban management workers.
Law graduate Shen was frustrated for repeating the same tasks day after day, and questioned whether he was doing the right job.
"I thought I was responsible for city management before I was given the post. I never thought that I would merely be cleaning up the mess," Shen said.
Shen was later asked to work with documents in the law enforcement section of the urban management department.
