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NPC to focus on daily concerns, corruption
(China Daily)
Updated: 2004-03-03 00:30 The opinions of ordinary people will be heard more
clearly at the annual sessions of China's top legislature and political advisory
body, according to political science experts.
With the public's huge concern over issues close to their daily lives, topics
relating to people's livelihoods are expected to be highlighted by about 5,000
participants at the meetings.
And it is hoped that the deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) and
members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference's (CPPCC)
National Committee will also focus more heavily on the anti-graft war and
government reforms, according to the latest media surveys.
The second session of the 10th CPPCC National Committee and the 10th NPC open
today and Friday, respectively, in Beijing.
The public is showing its greatest ever interest in what topics might be
discussed at the two sessions, according to separate online surveys conducted by
the Xinhua News Agency and the People's Daily.
Hundreds of thousands of netizens took part in the polls, which sought topics
of most concern to the public.
Raising farmers' incomes, cutting education fees, improving employment
opportunities and the establishment of a sound social security network were
common themes.
Other key topics include enhancing food and drug safety, reducing production
accidents and protecting the legitimate interests of both urbanites and migrant
farmers, as well as strengthening public security.
Xin Ming, a researcher with the Party School of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of China, predicted that the two annual sessions of the NPC and
the CPPCC's National Committee will give more attention to the welfare of
ordinary people.
"An encouraging sign is that topics concerning the fundamental interests of
the public dominated the discussions of almost all provincial people's
congresses around the country in late February," he told China Daily.
The researcher said the move indicated a growing popularity of the scientific
concept of people-centred development, which has been proposed by the new
generation of Chinese leadership under President Hu Jintao.
The new concept features humanistic governance and the principle of focusing
on the people, which means centring efforts on the interests of citizens in
order to meet their various demands and achieve all-around development for all.
"Caring for the people is sure to propel lawmakers and political advisers to
come up with more practical and concrete policies to address their concerns,"
Xin said.
As a signal of the positive change, the government work report to be
delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao to the NPC will place an unprecedented emphasis
on the well-being of citizens during the process of economic development,
sources revealed.
Yu Jiancheng, a taxi driver in Beijing, expressed his hope for a
down-to-earth work style among participants at the two annual sessions.
"We understand that the NPC deputies and CPPCC National Committee members
need to discuss State affairs and other significant issues," he said.
"But it's equally important for them to base their discussions on how to
promote the interests of the people."
Yu said he was most concerned about narrowing the widening gap between the
rich and the poor, adding that urgent measures are needed to tackle the
worsening problem.
Concern for people's livelihoods, however, does not prevent the Chinese
public from being enthusiastic about political issues.
Among them, there is a strong call for the country to step up the battle
against corruption, adjust government functions to economic changes and speed up
judicial reforms.
The problem of corruption, which is believed to be the No 1 factor
undermining social stability, remains the top concern among the public this
year.
About 84 per cent of respondents to the Xinhua survey say anti-corruption
efforts should be given top priority.
"All reforms will suffer if corruption is not eliminated," an anonymous
respondent to the People's Daily online survey commented.
The deep worry comes despite firm determination from the CPC and the Chinese
Government to curb corruption.
In 2003, a total of 13 ministerial and provincial-level officials were
punished for graft and bribery. One of them was sentenced to death.
They included former Hebei Province Party Secretary Cheng Weigao, former Land
and Resources Minister Tian Fengshan and former Anhui Vice-Governor Wang
Huaizhong.
To more effectively fight against corruption, the public is pinning high
hopes on NPC deputies and CPPCC National Committee members to help push ahead
with government and judicial reforms to safeguard social and legal justice.
Professor Yang Haikun, vice-chairman of the Administrative Law Society of
China, went further, saying the public aspiration for a "clean," truly
streamlined and highly efficient government entails deepening reforms.
"More effort is needed to adapt the role of an administration-oriented
government to a society calling for a service-oriented government, following the
country's entry to the World Trade Organization,'' the professor said.
Apart from streamlining efforts, the ongoing reforms of government
institution should focus more on improving government functions and
administrative methods, Yang said.
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