Sit together in public interest

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(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-07 08:48

The details of interest dispute between public enterprises should be exposed to people and should be left to them to judge the right and wrong, says an article in Beijing News. The following is an excerpt:

The reason behind the chronic problem of communication snag in Beijing subway tunnels was exposed recently: the quarrel between metro companies and communication operators on how the cell phone signal receivers in the tunnels should be installed. Stuck in the dispute, they have apparently cast a blind eye to the convenience of the public.

On the one hand, communication operators, mainly the Beijing branches of the China Mobile and China Unicom, think it is wrong for the Beijing Subway Corporation (BSC) to unilaterally install communication equipment in the tunnels at first and then, given the industry monopoly status and managing power of the metro system enjoyed by the BSC, charge them so high for doing so.

On the other hand, the BSC argued that its charge is reasonable as both the installation and maintenance costs of in-tunnels' signal receivers are expensive.

Right or wrong, such a metro system, which makes people unreachable except on its platforms, really tarnishes the national capital's image of modernity. The public would be very upset after knowing about the minor dispute behind their great inconvenience.

The key point is why the three sides cannot sit down first to talk about it given the price should not be fixed by any one side.

The people here have the right to demand every thing be made public, including how much the BSC wants, and how much the other two are willing to pay, and the cost of the installation and maintenance of the equipment paid by the tunnels constructors.

We need sincerity by all the three in getting together around a negotiation table, and we need their respect for the public's interest. We also need the government's involvement if it is necessary.

(China Daily 08/07/2008 page10)