Premier Wen draws grassroots' ideas for govn't work

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-15 21:54

BEIJING -- 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.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L, back) presides over a forum to get suggestions to improve the government work report from economic and social scholars in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 9, 2009. [Xinhua]

"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 (US$588,000) 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, laid off from 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 laid-off migrant workers in your village?" the premier asked.

"About half of the village population," 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.

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