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GE JIANXIONG a member of the Standing committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a professor at Fudan University in Shanghai |
Before becoming a member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, I worked as a political advisor and also as a lawmaker in Shanghai.
I was elected as a deputy to the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress in the 1980s. Back then, few deputies knew how to write their suggestions, so some came to me for help.
I am 72, so I was on the verge of retirement 10 years ago. However, the CPPCC National Committee has provided me with an important platform and greater influence.
For example, as a member of the Standing Committee, I have the chance to speak with the country's top leaders, such as Premier Li Keqiang and Wang Qishan, head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and ask them questions,
Every time I have questioned top officials, I have received detailed replies. They did not avoid my (sometimes blunt) questions and gave me equally forthright answers.
I have been a member of the committee for 10 years, during which time I have submitted five or six proposals every year, and I am happy with all of them.
My suggestions are always serious because they involve important issues. Some have been implemented, while others have not yet been adopted.
As a political adviser, I pay great attention to social issues. Also, many people have given me good source materials.
Every year, I selected what I thought were the most important issues and submitted them to the CPPCC National Committee.
My proposals were wide-ranging. Some required extensive knowledge of certain fields, while others were prompted by my observations of people's daily lives.
For example, this year, I suggested upgrading drivers' licenses by adding English on one side to provide bilingual information.
Nowadays, thousands of Chinese people go abroad, but it is still a problem for them to use their driver's license overseas because they require an English translation of their details, backed by an official stamp. In some cases, drivers require official notarization, which they have to pay to obtain.
I chose to submit a number of proposals about specific topics, such as national security. I received many responses, some from the top leaders.
I rarely turn down media requests and give as many interviews as possible during the annual meeting of the CPPCC National Committee in March.
As a member, I am public property and my job is to talk on behalf of other people.
Ge Jianxiong spoke with Luo Wangshu.
