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Public gets window on city housekeeping
Source: Xinhua |
November 16, 2009, Monday
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TRANSPARENCY is a two-way window, as Chinese officials are finding out the hard way.
Even as they gradually open the blinds to let the public look in at the state of their housekeeping, they must also look out and see the shock and surprise of the public.
Secrets that officials formerly regarded as "highly classified" or "sensitive" are increasingly being aired on local government Websites around the country.
Information, including fiscal budgets, official work reports and details on the families of officials, is seeing the light of day in the spreading "transparency reform."
So far, Guangdong Province in south China is leading the way.
On November 5, Xu Zhibiao, deputy mayor of Guangzhou City, the provincial capital, who is in charge of education, science, health, culture and publications, published his work report on his achievements over the last two years on the municipal Website.
On November 9 in Foshan, also in Guangdong, the secretary of the city's Communist Party of China committee, Lin Yunhe, Mayor Chen Yunxian and deputy Mayor Mai Jiehua all posted their two-year work reports on the city Website.
Last month, Guangzhou made public the fiscal budgets of all the 114 government sections - in what is believed to be the first such disclosure by a Chinese local government.
Dongguan City, in southern Guangdong, has set up a database of the professional information about 627 officials' spouses and children.
However, the public wants more than that. Internet forums are abuzz with complaints about the lack of comments or feedback channels on the city's Websites, which makes public inquiries and participation impossible.
Others complain about omitted information, such as the use of public funds for receptions and official cars.
Most, however, are angered by the work reports of four senior Guangdong officials, and how they grade their own performances. Xu Zhibiao, deputy mayor of Guangzhou, awards himself a performance score of 98 (out of 100).
Lin Yunhe, secretary of Foshan municipal CPC committee, Foshan Mayor Chen Yunxian and deputy Mayor Mai Jiehua all give themselves 97.
"With so many tough issues still troubling the province, it would be hard for officials to get even a passing score. An official who thinks that highly of himself must have no idea of the hardships of ordinary people," says a post from "Yuchan920" on www.ifeng.com.
A post from "Karencheng" says: "The officials' evaluation scores should be given by the people, not themselves. Officials who know nothing about modesty cannot be good."
At a meeting in Guangzhou last Tuesday, Xu was humbled: "I feel ashamed. The heated comments on the Internet show my work of the past two years is far from satisfactory to the public."
None of the other three officials has yet responded to the public fury.
On May 1 last year, the government information disclosure regulation took effect nationwide. Its ninth clause requires governments to release information vital to the interests of individuals and organizations.
Since then Shanghai has issued an implementation plan on budget publicity and promised to release revenue information monthly or quarterly, and more than 60 departments and organizations of the central government have released about 400 measures to make their affairs public.
Cai Dingjian, a constitutional law expert at the Beijing-based China University of Political Science and Law, says: "A responsible and rule-of-law government should protect the people's right to know."
Even as they gradually open the blinds to let the public look in at the state of their housekeeping, they must also look out and see the shock and surprise of the public.
Secrets that officials formerly regarded as "highly classified" or "sensitive" are increasingly being aired on local government Websites around the country.
Information, including fiscal budgets, official work reports and details on the families of officials, is seeing the light of day in the spreading "transparency reform."
So far, Guangdong Province in south China is leading the way.
On November 5, Xu Zhibiao, deputy mayor of Guangzhou City, the provincial capital, who is in charge of education, science, health, culture and publications, published his work report on his achievements over the last two years on the municipal Website.
On November 9 in Foshan, also in Guangdong, the secretary of the city's Communist Party of China committee, Lin Yunhe, Mayor Chen Yunxian and deputy Mayor Mai Jiehua all posted their two-year work reports on the city Website.
Last month, Guangzhou made public the fiscal budgets of all the 114 government sections - in what is believed to be the first such disclosure by a Chinese local government.
Dongguan City, in southern Guangdong, has set up a database of the professional information about 627 officials' spouses and children.
However, the public wants more than that. Internet forums are abuzz with complaints about the lack of comments or feedback channels on the city's Websites, which makes public inquiries and participation impossible.
Others complain about omitted information, such as the use of public funds for receptions and official cars.
Most, however, are angered by the work reports of four senior Guangdong officials, and how they grade their own performances. Xu Zhibiao, deputy mayor of Guangzhou, awards himself a performance score of 98 (out of 100).
Lin Yunhe, secretary of Foshan municipal CPC committee, Foshan Mayor Chen Yunxian and deputy Mayor Mai Jiehua all give themselves 97.
"With so many tough issues still troubling the province, it would be hard for officials to get even a passing score. An official who thinks that highly of himself must have no idea of the hardships of ordinary people," says a post from "Yuchan920" on www.ifeng.com.
A post from "Karencheng" says: "The officials' evaluation scores should be given by the people, not themselves. Officials who know nothing about modesty cannot be good."
At a meeting in Guangzhou last Tuesday, Xu was humbled: "I feel ashamed. The heated comments on the Internet show my work of the past two years is far from satisfactory to the public."
None of the other three officials has yet responded to the public fury.
On May 1 last year, the government information disclosure regulation took effect nationwide. Its ninth clause requires governments to release information vital to the interests of individuals and organizations.
Since then Shanghai has issued an implementation plan on budget publicity and promised to release revenue information monthly or quarterly, and more than 60 departments and organizations of the central government have released about 400 measures to make their affairs public.
Cai Dingjian, a constitutional law expert at the Beijing-based China University of Political Science and Law, says: "A responsible and rule-of-law government should protect the people's right to know."
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