The publication of officials' contact and job information in a city in southwest China has fanned discussion about how officials could be more pro-active in dealing with public scrutiny.
A lengthy list of names, responsibilities and office phone numbers of dozens of city and district officials was carried in Saturday's Kunming Daily, the official newspaper in Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province.
Qiu He, the city's Party secretary and member of the standing committee of the Party's provincial committee, and mayor Zhang Zulin headed the list. Making the contacts public was intended "to subject officials to public supervision, and form a consensus and a mechanism in which each and every official will work to boost the city's 'soft environment', Qiu told a conference last Thursday, according to Tuesday's People's Daily.
Information about these officials will also be compiled into a manual and made available in bookstores in the near future, Qiu said.
This wasn't the first place such contacts were publicized. Similar initiatives were reportedly adopted elsewhere, including Pixian county in the southwestern Sichuan Province in 2005 and Xianyang city, neighbor of the ancient city of Xi'an, in 2006.
But none matched Kunming in scope and impact. The newspapers immediately sold out on Saturday, and more copies had to be printed the next day for local residents. Residents said although most of the numbers were already available through phone inquiries, putting them all together would make it easier to know whom to call.
The news was also picked up by major Chinese newspapers in the last two days: eyes were again on open governance and also on Qiu He, an outspoken but controversial cadre who was transferred from being vice governor of eastern Jiangsu province to his current post in December.
Tuesday's Beijing Youth Daily said in an editorial that the initiative was "worthy of praise no matter whether it was a mere technical move or out of deep-seated political consciousness".
Ying Yongsheng, head of Kunming's Party disciplinary inspection body, said in the People's Daily that "this is not only a form of open governance, but also a way to cement ties between the Party and the people, and a channel for public supervision."
Wu Tinggen, a member of the provincial people's political consultative conference, said: "When people had to go through levels of government before making their opinions known, supervision was delayed and the voices of the people were sometimes suppressed. Making the numbers public is only beneficial to broadening public supervision."
Zhou Hailian, another political adviser, said the phone lists were the first step in a change of work styles, but not all complaints could be addressed and matters settled only by getting hold of officials.
"We need measures to back this up and make the initiative survive," Zhou said.
While some worry about whether they will actually be able to contact the officials and others warn of possible harassment by a disgruntled few, others say that the value of the initiative can't be overestimated.
"A door to democracy opened by spur-of-moment political zeal is not firmly founded," wrote Chen Yizhou on the China.org. "We hope that Kunming's 'new deal' will be sustained and go even further."
Whether the move is a boon or burden remains to be seen, but Kunming isn't alone in seeking more public supervision.
In Guangdong, Party secretary Wang Yang and governor Huang Huahua told netizens in a New Year letter posted online on Feb. 3: "We would like to become your net-pals, listen to your suggestions and accept your supervision."
"We are ready to 'pour water' (offer opinions) on matters of common concern, and we also welcome you to 'slap bricks' (criticize) if there are imperfections in our job or decisions," the statement said, using popular online jargon.
Also in early February, the provincial government in neighboring Yunnan amended its regulations by urging government employees to be more open and welcoming towards media scrutiny.
"Officials shall be able to perform duties under supervision. Those who refuse supervision run counter to the process of democracy," said Qin Guangrong, governor of Yunnan.
"We have staff to collect press reports every day, especially those reports that are important and of a critical nature. As the governor, I hope I can get hold of press reports as soon and as often as possible," he said.
Such local government gestures and initiatives indicate that public scrutiny is weighing more heavily on the government agenda. The measures should inspire others in advancing democracy and the rule of law, and placing power under better supervision, said the China Youth Daily in Tuesday's editorial.
Source: Xinhua
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