Can the "accountability system" prevent officials from misconduct or making mistakes? If continuous mistakes and faults occurred, and apologies were habitually used as sorry excuses, it would have no meaning. Previous experience has shown that frequent apologies would not make the people more trusting of the government.

Zhang Hongrui (China Press and Publishing Journal): Currently, Shenzhen City has promoted a new accountability system in which officials apologize via the media for official misconduct.

For those initiatives that are heartfelt, or in cases where officials act immediately to make up the losses caused by such misconduct, the policy will undoubtedly help soothe the rage from the public and relieve civil servants from feeling guilty. However, for those hypocritical officials, a few "sorries" cannot be effective and are rather a disguise for mistakes. Such apologies might become shields that will help them escape from legal punishments and penalties.

Chun Hua (Information Times): The Chinese people have it in them to forgive others. When officials swallow their pride, offer apologies and ask for forgiveness, it is given. Nevertheless, apologies are apologies, merely moral punishments.

As we know, Shenzhen's public apology system is fundamentally similar to the accountability system in the Western world. But in approaching this system, Shenzhen's local leadership was not dedicated enough to examine all the aspects, such as how to assess the impacts of official misconduct.

Another obvious problem is that civil servants are not attaching enough importance to the current legal system. Actually some mistakes or ill behaviors cannot and should not be solved just by apologies.

Step in right direction

Hong Qiaojun (Jiangnan City Daily): Shenzhen Mayor Xu Zongheng said that despite public apologies, official misconduct will also result in punishment, namely, once found guilty, the officials involved will face legal charges.

Public apology or administrative accountability is not common in today's China. And this new initiative impressed us as an encouraging new era of strict governance of the government, which is likely to change a long existing cultural tradition about "face," and to establish a more transparent public supervision system.

Chen Yizhou (Chengdu Daily): A "sorry" is far from enough; the government should analyze the reasons and rectifications for such misconduct. A more responsible government will also be more efficient in solving problems, but how and to what extent the people will be satisfied have yet to be determined.

Before Shenzhen's initiative, some local governments did not show enough respect for public rights, and were managing public affairs and habitually managing the people. It is possibly a transition in administration, a change of ideas about who should be supervised and managed. A stronger role by the public in supervising the government will help to improve their social status. A transformation of government's role, as a guardian of public power, will enhance its efficiency for better performance.

Mao Jianguo (Chengdu Daily): Officials will be challenged by such apologies. Under pressure from the public, at least they are expected to be more serious about their mistakes. Still, an apology is different from punishment. Through the former civil servants are ethically blamed, while with the latter they will be legally held accountable.

Some mistakes are not so severe as to receive prison sentences and in these cases an apology will be a good substitute.

Lu Shan (Wuhan Evening News): A popular term in today's political arena is "accountability system." Any functioning of the administration is under watch for accountability if malpractice occurs. An ideal government should be just and fair in administration and operate efficiently to provide better service to the public through every possible channel.

But that government only exists in utopia. In reality, we have to admit various defects of any administration. For whatever reasons, some governments perform poorly, but the reform of the system is a process, and that might start with an apology. Recognizing a mistake indicates a willingness to make improvements.