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Chinese Agency Calls for "Iron-Fisted" Approach to Coal Mine Safety

Posted on: Thursday, 11 August 2005, 06:00 CDT

Text of "commentary on current affairs" by Xinhua reporter Zhang Jiangao headlined: "Iron-fisted approach' needed to curb coal mine accidents" by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency)

Beijing, 10 August: The mayors of Meizhou and Xingning cities in Guangdong Province have been suspended from duty over a coal mine accident. Coal mines across Guangdong have suspended production to improve working conditions, and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Ministry of Supervision have taken part in the investigation into the accident. The progress in handling the "8.7" fatal coal mine accident in Xingning City demonstrates the party and government's determination to curb coal mine accidents. At a meeting to analyse the fatal flooding accident at the Daxing Coal Mine in Xingning City, Zhang Dejiang, member of the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] Central Committee Political Bureau and secretary of the Guangdong provincial party committee, proposed "an iron-fisted approach in order to prevent accidents due to poor production safety". His remarks struck a chord in the hearts of all people who are concerned about problems related to production safety.

The fatal flooding accident at the Daxing Coal Mine in Xingning City is a typical accident due to poor production safety in violation of relevant laws, rules, and regulations, and it reflects the despicable conduct of the mine owner and relevant people at fault in disregarding state laws and miners' lives and safety. What is hard to understand is that a serious flooding accident had just occurred at the Fusheng Coal Mine, not far from the Daxing Coal Mine, on 14 July, resulting in the deaths of 16 miners. After that accident, the Xingning city government suspended production at coal mines to improve working conditions according to the provincial government's demands. Mayor Zeng Xianghai made this promise to society: "The owner has gone, but the government is still around. The government will take responsibility for this matter to the end and will ensure that a second accident will never happen." These words were still ringing in people's ears, when an accident that claimed 16 lives quickly led to an even bigger accident with slim chances of survival for 123 people. How did the local government go about its business of supervision and management? What is the point in suspending production to improve working conditions?

Looking back on a string of devastating coal mine accidents that have occurred in recent years, we find to our dismay that after the accidents, leaders at all levels took the matters seriously, opened investigations, dealt with matters that arose in the aftermath of the accidents, tried to improve working conditions, and brought some people at fault to account. And yet, coal mine accidents have continued to occur, with frequent occurrences of serious accidents due to operations in violation of relevant laws, rules, and regulations. Why is that? The main reason is because lessons are not drawn and responsibility not ascertained in a thoroughgoing manner. The costs of taking responsibility for one's actions are indeed negligible when problem coal mines are ordered to suspend production to improve their working conditions or are forcibly shut down, and when people who have failed to exercise effective supervision and management are suspended for investigation or given warnings or demerits in circumstances where profit is a strong temptation. Without "an iron-fisted approach," how can we learn from past mistakes in order to prevent future ones?

What we lack in our current efforts to oversee production safety is not laws, rules and regulations on which we can base our actions and with which we can comply in law enforcement; what we lack is basic work ethics on the part of relevant personnel, as reflected in concern with affairs that are the responsibility of one's office, as well as "an iron-fisted approach" towards investigating responsibility in strict accordance with laws and regulations after accidents. We have learned too many lessons at the cost of blood. If we still do not firmly make up our mind to take "an iron-fisted approach" towards solving the problem of coal mine safety once and for all, we will not be able to justify our actions to the people.

Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

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