Higher authorities have to take immediate measures to correct the unhealthy working style in government and Party offices, change the "vulgar" form of address that junior officials use for their seniors, as well as promote healthy relations between the people and officials, says an article in Shanghai Morning Post. Excerpts:

The Guangdong provincial discipline inspection commission has issued a document warning Party and government officials not to encourage cadres and junior officials to address them as "boss".

For decades, "comrade" had been the unified form of address among Party and government officials, be they seniors or juniors. In fact, it was the accepted form of address, both formal and informal, across all sections of Chinese society. The term "comrade" conveys the high level of respect an addressor has for an addressee and vice-versa-it is more like a cultural symbol of the country.

In recent years, however, fewer and fewer people have been using "comrade" to address Party and government officials, especially if the latter are senior in rank. Such has been the impact of foreign cultures that junior officials, in most cases, refer to their seniors as "boss", reflecting the vulgar working style that has crept into the Party as well as the government.

The appropriate use of titles is important in officialdom. But such use should be subtle without sounding subservient or (conversely) offensive.

When a subordinate official in the Party or the government calls his/her senior "boss", he/she actually reflects the vulgarization of the superior-subordinate relationship. Also, such a practice indicates that in some cases, the relationship between junior and senior officials is based on personal interests, which goes against the nature and norms of the Party and the government. Isn't it a fact that subordinate officials always use higher-level titles, such as "boss", to flatter their superiors?

Given the rising incidence of this practice, the document issued by the Guangdong provincial discipline inspection commission is a welcome move. But the document alone cannot correct the unhealthy working style of Party and government officials in the province. To eradicate the "boss" culture, Party and government authorities have to make collective efforts to practice democratic centralism and maintain comradely relationship between senior and junior officials.