Although it at first seems appealing to have public officials take responsibility for the disasters that slip by one their watch, it may not be the best course of action.

For instance, there was a baby food scandal in 2004, and the government reacted by holding people responsible - heads of companies and several public officials were executed.

But now a similar problem is happening again. Why?

Because by holding an individual responsible for what is a societal lapse, it allows everyone else to keep on doing business as usual without addressing the fundamental underlying problems.

In the case of corruption or dereliction of duty, the communist party's punitive actions have not served as a deterrent, quite the opposite.

Perhaps we should also consider this in our own context, for we all own a small part in the disasters we blame on our politicians.