GUANGZHOU: Members of the Guangdong Provincial
Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) will
be sacked if they fail to turn up twice for meetings without prior permission.
That's according to a new regulation from the standing committee of the
provincial conference.
Yang Dong, secretary-general of the Guangdong provincial committee of the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said the rule aims to
increase the sense of responsibility among members while flushing out 'dormant'
ones.
Ren Jiantao, a public administration professor of Guangzhou-based Sun Yat-sen
University, spoke highly of the new regulation.
"Beyond doubt, there are members who only wish for the honour and
corresponding privileges as political consultative members rather than wanting
an opportunity to participate in the administration and discussion of State
affairs," the professor said.
"The new regulation will play an effective role in securing willing advisors
and rejecting reluctant ones."
The regulation stipulates that even members of the standing committee of the
provincial political consultative conference will be asked to quit if absent
from four meetings of the standing committee without advanced application for
leave.
"Members are the body of the provincial committee," said Yang. "Only when
they are active can they play their advisory roles well."
The local people's political consultative conference is an advisory body to
local authorities. Conference members are encouraged to participate in the
administration and discussion of State affairs by proposing resolutions and
suggestions.
Some of the members are full-time while many others are part-time.
Yang said the provincial committee makes an announcement of a meeting or a
social activity at least one week in advance to leave enough time for members,
especially those working on a part-time basis, to make arrangements.
He said that the provincial committee told 28 political consultative members
to quit including Sun Shuwei and Hu Jia both diving champions in the last
Olympic Games and a Hong Kong businessman, in January this year after their
failure to propose suggestions or to attend most meetings in the past two years.
The new rule, drafted early in 2005, was passed by the standing committee of
the provincial conference in late September.