Listening to the public
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Less than two weeks before the 2010 plenary session of the National People's Congress, Zhongnanhai is all ears to public feedback on a government work report set to open the national legislature's annual session.
For the first time in years, Premier Wen Jiabao compared notes with ordinary rural residents about the report, and then solicited opinion from a Beijing neighborhood. Those were not simply gestures to instill a sense of relevance in the general public, but also a good way to glimpse into the minds of those whose voices would otherwise not be heard.
The government knows what needs to be done. But to make a more sensible roadmap for a new year, those charting the nation's course of development do need to listen, and listen more, to the people on the street.
Since the annual report dictates the priority of issues on government agendas, it can only become more enriched with input from the public. Knowing what citizens are concerned about is not just a prerequisite to good governance, it's also a must for an administration that has committed to a "people-centered" approach.
Piecing together what we have heard, we can also glimpse into the draft report's central concerns: maintaining the economy's steady and reasonably high pace; fine-tuning growth; improving people's livehihood and refining the economy's structure. These issues are fair, especially as the nation emerges from the international financial meltdown with keener knowledge about economic health.
By and large, the government has done a decent job managing our massive and recovering economy. At home and abroad, the verdict has been unanimously positive. Our economy's safe voyage through the international financial turmoil leaves much for reflection.
Premier Wen attributed the success in part to "scientific and democratic decision-making," or the mechanisms that incorporate public participation, expert opinions and government policy-making.
Behind the government's performance, according to Wen, was the emphasis on collective discourse, feasibility studies, consultation with experts and the general public, and in effectively executing policies that gained in credibility.
What is truly inspiring lies in Premier Wen's understanding that democratic approaches apply not only to the economy. We share his belief that democracy can be an effective means in dealing with complicated domestic and international concerns.
Local governments' waning credibility, for one, has much to do with their undemocratic approaches.
Interactions between the public and local administrators will be more constructive should the latter be willing to engage their nominal constituencies.
