Government and Policy

Shanghai representatives voice concerns at congress

By Qian Yanfeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-28 08:47

SHANGHAI: Shi Weiguo never expected to be able to participate in the annual meeting of the municipal people's congress, let alone be a part of that force to drive for change.

But during the past few days, he has been helping scores of people deal with their plights by listening to their complaints over the phone, and promising to report them to the local legislature to seek solutions.

The 22-year-old student from Tongji University is one of 34 residents in Shanghai who were invited to audit the session and pass on grassroots complaints to local authorities.

For the first time, the city made public the phone numbers of representatives to encourage residents to lodge complaints.

Together with Shi are 33 other representatives whose professions range from community workers to restaurant waitresses. In the past, these representatives were just auditors to the congress. Now they can make a difference and even express their own opinions during the one-week annual meeting.

Shi said he has been receiving numerous calls and has kept his mobile phone on for 24 hours in fear of missing a call.

He said he is surprised to hear the stories from people unknown to him, who invest their hope for change in him.

Many of the complaints are related to house demolitions and relocations, cases that he believes "should get more attention from the government as social disputes and unrest keep growing."

"What I can do for these people may be quite limited, but it is a good start anyway, by creating channels for them to voice their discontent. I'll try my best to pass them on to authorities and hopefully drive for a change," he said.

Shi said more public channels are needed, however, for people to lodge complaints at any time of the year. Many callers asked him where to have their problems heard and addressed after the congress, he said.

Shen Cuiying, a retired teacher in Shanghai, said she did not think resident representatives were effective.

"The phone was distributed to us to be used only during the meeting, which means people will not be able to reach me a week later. While this is to protect our privacy, I also wonder whether the move could be of any real help to the people," she said.