At the fifth meeting of the Standing Committee of the 10th Shandong
Provincial People's Congress later last month, 15 ordinary citizens
from various Shandong localities took the lead to sit in on the
meeting as citizen representatives. Wang Jiading, a 61-year-old
retiree said: "The audit practice implemented by the Standing
Committee is not a political show but a true move and a start to
returning rights back to the people."
It is learned that the Standing Committee of the provincial
people's congress released the notice allowing ordinary citizens to
sit in on its meetings on November 12. Over 1,000 citizens called
to request relevant information and 300 plus throughout the entire
province decided to apply in just four days. On November 19, the
office of the Standing Committee picked from the applicants 15
citizens, aged 21 to 61 with a wide range of professions such as
public servants, journalists, teachers, lawyers, doctors,
enterprise employees, peasants, entrepreneurs and retirees.
At the meeting, the 15 citizen representatives heard, along with
members of the Standing Committee, reports concerning Shandong
Provincial Administration Reconsideration Rules (draft), the draft
revision of Shandong Noise Pollution Prevention and Control Rules,
and the draft revision of Rules On Implementing the Trade Union Law
in Shandong Province.
The 15 representatives were highlighted by the media as soon as
the meeting ended. Liu Hua, a 51-year-old general manager of four
chain stores, said delightfully: "I am the first to apply in Heze
City. I am so glad I was picked by the committee. Through this
auditing, I can gain better access to know well the state's
policies and laws and to find a correct direction towards
development and prosperity. Only in this way can our private
economy develop and boom."
Li Donghua, a worker from Hubin Town Transportation
Administrative Station in Boxing County, Binzhou City, said: "The
audit allows us grass root citizens to join the conference and
provides a new channel for citizens' participation in national
affairs. It is a new measure to enhance interaction between the
institutes of power and common citizens as well as a bridge of
communication. We can see greatly improved transparency in
government affairs."
Wang Jiading cannot contain his enthusiasm for the audit
practice. He says: "As the first citizen to take a lawsuit against
the government institute in Weifang City, my presence in the
conference demonstrates the true will of the Standing Committee of
the Shandong Provincial People's Committee. Last spring, I sued the
local labor resource departments to answer charges of 'dereliction
of duty, administration not in accordance with laws and
regulations'. Only if the citizens stop suing government
departments and the power institutes stop disturbing the citizens
can we build a stable and better-off society."
From now on, according to a decision by the Standing Committee
chairmen's meeting of the Shandong Provincial People's Congress,
relevant departments will also arrange for citizens to attend and
audit other relevant meetings and prescribe such an "audit
practice" as a system.
(China.org.cn by Alex Xu and Daragh Moller, December 5,
2003)