Prudence in new practice

There was quite a stir when the performance reports of six of the 21 delegates representing the city of Hengyang at the people's congress of Hunan province were published by the local media.

We have heard about lawmakers appealing for and delivering reports on how they carried out their duties as people's representatives. But most of the time, they have been isolated cases based on individual decisions. There have been initiatives to institutionalize the practice but progress has been negligible.

The Hengyang case made a sensation because it is more of a collective effort - six were involved. No doubt that is progress, and we applaud it.