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IN BEIJING - THE capital of the quake-battered Sichuan province is auctioning off its glitzy, new government headquarters, state media reported yesterday, linking the surprise move to growing public anger over official extravagance.
Completed late last year, after three years of construction, south-western Chengdu city's new government administrative centre has sparked an online debate over its hefty 1.2 billion yuan (S$237 million) price tag.
Roiled by worsening official corruption, netizens last year launched an online campaign to expose local governments, particularly those in impoverished areas, which put up luxurious, over- the-top official buildings.
Dozens of photographs of ostentatious offices, some resembling the White House in Washington, were posted online, triggering a public outcry over the abuse of public funds.
Beijing responded by sending investigators to weed out illegally-built offices.
In the case of Chengdu's administrative centre, it was the May 12 earthquake that reignited public anger.
Rumours circulating online say some Chengdu government personnel had begun moving into the new building just three days after the quake struck, causing a furore, said state-run newspaper, the China Youth Daily, yesterday.
The fact that hundreds of schools had collapsed in the quake which killed nearly 70,000 people, while surrounding buildings including government offices stood firm, further fuelled netizens' rage.
In a separate commentary on the issue, the paper said the auction was prompted by 'some internal self-examination, and the pressure of public opinion'.
However, the head of Chengdu's propaganda department said it was pressure on government coffers that led to the decision.
'The pressing need to raise funds to carry out the re-housing of people left homeless by the quake, and the reconstruction of quake-hit areas, caused a big dent in the local government's finances,' Chengdu vice-mayor He Huazhang said at a press conference in the city on Wednesday.
All proceeds from the sale of the building, he added, will go towards re-housing and reconstruction needs.
Mr He also told reporters that some government workers had moved into the new office building located in the southern district of the city when it was completed late last year. Staff members have since been told to stay put in the old government offices situated in Chengdu's busy city centre.
The new government building is located on 17ha of land, and has a built-up area of 370,000 sq m, the China Youth Daily said.
Approval for the building was given after officials cited the need to ease traffic jams in the city centre and promote the development of Chengdu's southern district.
Some netizens yesterday welcomed the decision, with one anonymous blogger praising it as the 'decent thing to do when so many are suffering'.
Others, however, were not convinced.
A Chengdu resident surnamed Hu told The Straits Times via telephone: 'I'll believe it when they tell us who buys the building, how much they paid for it, and give us proof of how they spent the money.'
tracyq@sph.com.sg
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