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Recovery in motion

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-04 07:46

Motions tabled by members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee and deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) are usually the focus of attention during the annual sessions of the two bodies. The sessions are a major process through which CPPCC members and NPC deputies take part in the management of State affairs. Plus, it is an important platform where people's wishes and opinions are expressed through their representatives.

The CPPCC has already begun its annual session, and NPC will do so tomorrow. The global financial crisis has made people more eager to see whether their representatives convey their concerns to the country's top legislative and consultative bodies this year. But easy as it may seem, the mission of voicing the concern of people they represent is a difficult task for politicians and leading social figures.

Almost every CPPCC member and NPC deputy will have some proposal or the other. But only the most urgent and important ones will pass the scrutiny and meet the approval of the top leaders. If good motions contribute to the making of sensible policies, non-feasible or tricky ones drain the State's resources because relevant departments have to conduct thorough studies before scrapping them.

A CPPCC member, who used to be a farmer and has acquired sound knowledge of rural development, has decided to table some proposals for people returning to villages after losing their jobs in cities because of the economic downturn. One of his suggestions says the government should issue coupons to middle-aged migrant workers who cannot work in factories even after the economy recovers. These coupons should get them financial help to raise livestock and poultry back home. The number of such middle-aged migrant workers is about 20 million, a majority of whom don't know what to do after being laid off.

Only after carrying out proper studies can CPPCC members or NPC deputies come up with good proposals. Every member and deputy should follow this course to ensure that CPPCC and NPC resources are put to proper use.

Tabling of motions should not be on race. Some CPPCC members forget their proposals succeed in only scratching the surface of a problem without suggesting any concrete solution. One such member proposes that the five-day working week be cut to four and half days to stimulate consumption. The same member says in her second motion that women's potential be further tapped to tackle the current economic meltdown. That sounds good. But how do we do that? The member has no answer.

The fact that this member has decided to table 20 motions during this CPPCC session shows that she wants to draw media attention instead of suggesting solutions for problems, which is her duty. Can she be a model for others?

CPPCC members and NPC deputies both need to know how important their missions are. The people who they represent have high expectations from them. And the members are duty-bound to fulfill their expectations by preparing sensible motions.

Only when politicians and leading social figures get down to studying real problems earnestly will the motions they table be of high quality and their role in the management of State affairs make a bigger difference.

(China Daily 03/04/2009 page8)