In Beijing
THREE days after being thrust onto the hottest seat in the country, China's new quality control chief Wang Yong finally broke his silence today.
Well, sort of.
Mr Wang gave a speech at the headquarters of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ) on Monday after taking over from Mr Li Changjiang, who "resigned" in the face of the growing tainted milk powder scandal.
But strangely enough, the speech was not released for days and was posted on the administration's website only this morning.
This is a pity as many parents here were anxious to know what the new quality control chief would do about the melamine problem. What's doubly unfortunate is that Mr Wang's speech was full of the usual official-ese about "firmly upholding the central's decision", and "being mindful of the overall situation".
No one expects Mr Wang, a little-known 53-year-old bureaucrat with no experience in this field, to make grand promises or detailed policy changes right away, of course.
But with consumer confidence on the decline and public anger on the rise, Mr Wang should have at least done some straight talking, or acknowledged the anxieties and anguish of the parents whose children were sickened.
This job has largely fallen to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who over the weekend visited supermarkets and ordinary families in Beijing to offer assurances and words of encouragement. He also condemned the errant dairy companies in plain speak, calling them mei liangxin, or unconscionable.
At times of crisis, the importance of a human touch cannot be underestimated, and as the lead agency in the safety issue, GAQSIQ should perhaps take the cue from Mr Wen.