A gavel in a court. [Photo/IC]

Xuzhou city?in East China's Jiangsu province has been competing for the title of a national civilized city, and the government department in charge of coordinating the city's bid recently required more than 100 local government departments to send staff to help clear the streets of litter. However, the municipal prosecutors' office openly refused. Beijing News comments:

Similar moves have been reported in many cities. In Ji'ning in East China's Shandong province, all civil servants were required to clean the streets and some departments even asked their employees to work in shifts to ensure it was done round the clock.

In another city, even the judges were sent to clean the streets so that only one judge appeared to rule a case, when there should be three. These are not funny because they mean these are special efforts, and the normal state of affairs needs improving.

Some officials, including those in Xuzhou, respond that the moves are not mandatory and the governmental staff are doing "voluntarily" labor for the honor of their cities. But that excuse is rather weak because civil servants may find it hard to refuse to be "volunteers".

The Xuzhou municipal prosecutors' office has set a good example by openly refusing the requirement to the clean the streets. The central leadership supported similar moves last month by issuing a document that forbids any government department to ask judges and prosecutors to do anything outside their job responsibilities.

More importantly, the Xuzhou municipal prosecutors' office has also shown the whole country the spirit of judicial independence. Prosecutors are independent judicial staff, not government employees, and they have the right not to follow the arbitrary instructions of government officials.

Some leading local officials are accustomed to the old philosophy of an almighty government and they tend to mobilize resources of the whole society for their programs. By doing so, they often waste social resources.

Their deeds are also against the rule of law and clear, unambiguous division of responsibilities among various powerful agencies.

It is time for leading local officials to give up their illusion of being all-powerful. This is a lesson not only for Xuzhou, but also other cities.