In some people's eyes, the rampant corruption and the emphasis on the necessity of cracking down on abuse of power, instead of paying greater attention to the detrimental effects of the sins of omission by officials, have made conspicuous the fact that these officials, despite failing to perform their duties, have at least not smeared the image of the government by abusing the power in their hands.

There is a popular saying that the more work one does, the more he/she will be prone to committing errors. It is always those who try to do their work well get blamed for committing one error or another in the course of their duties. But the opposite is more true.

With the fight against corruption being intensified, many officials have to think twice before taking bribes or getting involved in the channeling of interests. But it has also become an excuse for many to do as little work as possible since they are experienced enough to know how to protect themselves from unnecessary blame.

While the fight against corruption may considerably reduce the sins of commission for the time being, it could also increase the sins of omission, which will insidiously erode the governing capability of the government. And in the long run, similar to the impact of corruption, it will ruin the reputation and credibility of the government.

Corruption as a sin of commission is a disease and so is the reluctance to perform one's duties. It is similar to the sin of omission. Both have the potential to kill a patient if not cured with the right medicines.

The author is a senior writer with China Daily. zhuyuan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/06/2015 page5)