A Russian governor has recommended that municipal officials set store by the moral code put forward by former Chinese Communist Party head Hu Jintao and use it to guide their professional conduct.
Hu Jintao's "Eight Honors and Eight Shames" extol the virtues and prestige of state and public service, and recognize the importance of knowledge, innovation and good work ethics. Sacrificing personal wealth for public service is considered the highest virtue by Hu Jintao, who was China's head of state from 2003 to 2013.
Sergei Morozov, the Ulyanovsk region's governor, said that a set of norms are needed to help officials get through the period of economic stagnation in Russia, Regnum news agency reported Tuesday.
With the Russian economy likely to lag behind global growth over the next 20 years, the region needs to develop a growth model based on education, business and public services, Morozov said.
He urged public sector workers "not to think too much of themselves, because they are not politicians and they don't have a big enough capacity for work," and supported greater public involvement in the region's governance.
Morozov didn't say how the precepts would be implemented or whether officials and public servants would be punished for not following them.
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