Premier solicits opinion on govt report

(China Daily/Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-16 07:33

Premier Wen Jiabao met with people from all walks of life over the past week to solicit their views on the government's work report, which would be submitted at the annual meeting of the top legislature next month.

Wen met with non-Communist party members, economists, socialists, businesspeople, technology experts, educators, specialists from the health, cultural and sports sectors, as well as workers and farmers.

"We should feel more confident because the country's economic fundamentals and the optimistic trend unchanged," he said.

Grassroots suggestions sought

Thirteen grassroots representatives - some of them farmers, pig-raisers, migrant workers, college graduates, doctors and primary school teachers - were invited to the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in downtown Beijing last week by the premier to voice their opinions on government work.

Sitting beside an oval table, the 13 people, excited and nervous, all experienced their first face-to-face talk with Premier Wen Jiabao.

"Make yourself at home," Wen said, "as you should be hosts here."

He said he wanted to listen to more complaints and suggestions instead of compliments.

Qin Yinglin, a pig-raiser in central Henan Province suggested more efforts should be made to ensure compulsory immunization and promote better varieties.

The Henan Agricultural University graduate raised more than 100,000 breeding pigs annually and more than 500,000 lean meat pigs. Sixteen years ago, he only raised 22 pigs. He had been dubbed by the premier "college graduate 'hogman'".

Qin attributed his success to the sound supportive policies. "This year I have got more than 4 million yuan (588,000 U.S. dollars) in sow subsidies. I hope the supportive policies will be stable."

Wen assured him that the policies would be "not only stable but need to be perfect".

"How about pig prices recently?" Wen asked.

"Down a little bit and the prices always fluctuate. But we hope the premier's mood would not follow the prices," Qin replied, raising a laugh in the room.

Employment

Struck by international financial woes, many migrant workers lost jobs and returned to their rural hometowns. The 23-year-old Gu Jiawei, who formerly worked at an electric appliance factory in Ningbo, eastern Zhejiang Province, was currently receiving driving training in his Sichuan hometown, and planned to look for jobs again after he got a driving license.

"Are there many migrant workers who have lost jobs in your village?" the premier asked.

"About half of the village's total migrant workers," Gu replied. He hoped the country could encourage more eastern enterprises to invest in West China so that he and fellow villagers could have more employment opportunities.

Wen said the central government invests about 1 trillion yuan in post-quake construction, including providing job opportunities.

Gu said he hoped for a unified measure that ensures migrant workers' insurance account transfer as many migrant workers could not continue their insurance program when they shift jobs.

"I have bought insurance in Zhejiang but could not transfer my account to my hometown," he said. Gu also voiced his hope for the establishment of a comprehensive service center for migrant workers that could save them time to apply for different certificates or licenses. Currently it would take days to obtain these certificates as they have to visit many bureaux located in different places.

Gu also hoped for the establishment of a unified training center for migrant workers as there are currently many substandard ones.

Wen pondered for a second and said, "Your suggestions are very important. The central government has attached great importance to the migrant workers' employment. We are figuring out ways and are drafting measures for the transfer of your insurance account."

Employment of more than 6 million college graduates this year has become a serious concern. The State Council, or the Cabinet, issued a circular on Sunday, ordering all regions and relevant departments to "put college graduate employment at the top of the work agenda".

Chen Weitao, a fourth-year student of the Beijing-based Tsinghua University Law School is also one of the 13 people who were invited to Zhongnanhai to put forward suggestions on government work on February 12. He said he and his classmates began to be worried about jobs as the financial crisis unfolded.

However, Chen said they were excited about the new policies helping college graduates to find jobs, including one saying scientific research programs should employ college graduates as research assistants.

"It could not only settle employment issues but boost innovation vigor as well," Chen said.

Wen said that the policy was made after he talked with students of the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in December. "The idea was put forward by the students and it is included in the policy."

Chen said more students might change their concept of employment as graduates were encouraged to join the army, work in rural areas and undertake community work after graduation.

The premier was a graduate student of the China University of Geosciences. Wen said as a geology student he had hoped to work in western China including Tibet when he graduated. "How could I conduct geology work if I was in a city?"

Care for rural, quake zone people

The premier also listened to other people talking about issues like medical services in rural areas, technological innovation, grain production, and rural education.

Wang Bolin, a doctor of a township clinic in Jiuquan City of northwestern Gansu Province said farmers could afford more medical services after the country boosted investment to improve rural medical facilities and implemented the new rural cooperative medical system.

However, the doctor with 34 years of grassroots medical experience said the number of rural medical staff were clearly inadequate. His clinic had not employed any college graduate over the past three decades.

Responding to Wang, Wen said it's important to encourage college graduates to work at grassroots where they are needed most.

He also asked Li Yunmei, a civil affairs staff of Yingxiu town in Wenchuan county, Sichuan Province, about the life of people who were affected by the 8.0-magnitude quake in May.

Li said she hoped housing and school building construction in the quake zone should be accelerated and more funds should be allocated to the care of orphans, the elder and disabled people. Wen promised Li to address the issues well.

After more than three hours of discussion, the premier said grassroots representatives' suggestions were "of great help" for the government to learn about the overall situation in the country and "we should closely rely on the people to overcome difficulties, especially in the current financial crisis."