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Justice sans escorts

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-30 07:54

On behalf of all those who "shang fang," we thank the authorities in Ruijin, Jiangxi province, for their profound considerateness and rich imagination in dispatching official escorts for citizens who visit higher authorities to voice grievances.

Yet given that there are too many in Ruijin who prefer to have their woes heard by someone higher up, we wonder if local cadres can afford that many trips. Which cost time, energy, and money. Sometimes, they had to accompany the subjects all the way to Beijing, paying for their travel, lodge, and even entertainment, so that they do not cause trouble at delicate moments.

And, few seem to enjoy the more-than-preferential treatment. Of the 496 "shang fang" cases registered in the first quarter, only 19 had official escorts. That was a result of local cadres being on high alert, watching out for clues of possible visits to higher levels.

We are sorry for those who came up with the scheme. They say this is the way to an all-win solution to the "xin fang" conundrum: those wanting to share their stories with higher offices get dutiful companions and guides, the cadres avoid having their performance record tarnished by untracked "xin fang" cases, and such visits would be "orderly".

But let us be reasonable. Like all previous attempts to prevent people from making such unwelcome visits, this one is destined to fail. In some notorious cases in the past, we have heard of extremely barbaric practices, such as complainants being victimized and admitted to psychiatric wards. Even that failed to deter the dedicated justice seekers.

People in Ruijin tried to escape from official escorts not because they did not need assistance, but because of distrust. Local officials know that.

We do not want to blame those who came up with the scheme. We know they have their own problems: local governments and officials fear "shang fang" because such visits may not only tarnish their performance record but also ruin careers.

Under the current performance assessment system, the number of complaint-filing visits from one's place counts heavily. That is why local authorities make all-out efforts to ensure that people in their area do not take their grievances to higher levels. But, even when it works for a while, it is not the solution. The root problem here is not that people want to expose the local authorities, but that they feel wronged by officials.

The masterminds of the scheme in Ruijin said that by doing so, they wanted to build a new type of relationship between the public and the authorities. That is a laudable aim. But, we believe that people will feel better and have fewer complaints if officials are diligent in the discharge of their duties. That way, there is no need for them to arrange escorts for aggrieved people.

(China Daily 06/30/2009 page8)