“斷崖式降級”凸顯反腐決心

Yan Shiyuan, a former member of the Shandong provincial Party committee, has been demoted from the rank of vice-minister to deputy head of a department for violating Party discipline. This kind of punishment has been dubbed a "free-fall demotion" by the media.

原山東省委常委顏世元因違反黨紀已由副部級降為副廳級。這種處罰方式被媒體稱為“斷崖式降級”。

“斷崖式降級”(free-fall demotion)指官員職務(wù)被很大程度地降級。2014年，江西省委原常委、秘書長趙智勇從副省級連降七級到科級(the rank of office clerk);云南省委原常委、昆明市委原書記張?zhí)镄肋B降四級，擔(dān)任副處級(deputy head of a section)非領(lǐng)導(dǎo)職務(wù)。Free fall原指“自由落體”，也可指大幅度跌落或下降，比如，The price did a free fall.(價格一落千丈。)

“斷崖式降級”意味著處分違紀官員(officials who violate the Party's discipline)的力度在加大。雖然這些問題官員沒有涉嫌違法犯罪，但是按照《公務(wù)員法》、《行政機關(guān)公務(wù)員處分條例》、《中國共產(chǎn)黨紀律處分條例》等相關(guān)規(guī)定，對那些違紀而不違法的官員(officials who violate the Party's discipline but don't violate the law)也有相應(yīng)的處分，其中降級就是一種。高官降級可以起到警示和震懾作用，成為新的反腐舉措(new move in the anti-corruption campaign)。