People’s needs are the Party’s ruling power

09:01, November 07, 2012

Over the past decade, the Chinese people have become increasingly used to supervising the government and expressing their opinions on such issues as the distribution system reform, prices of basic daily necessities, housing demolition policies, and site selection for chemical works. They want to know how related Party and government agencies view and deal with these issues.

The Communist Party of China should respond to public concerns in a timely fashion, and do its best to meet the people’s needs, so the people can feel its care. From the online communication between netizens and the Party’s General Secretary Hu Jintao and a growing number of government micro-blogs to the establishment of the press release and spokesperson system and release of the Opinions on Further Promoting Open Government and Enhancing Government Services, “openness” has become a basic principle, “timely response” to public concerns has changed from voluntary to compulsory, and “interaction” has become a major criterion for political performance over the past 10 years.

Unlike the past, responses to public concerns in today’s China where everyone has a “microphone” face the challenge of information explosion. It has changed from “the government says and the people listen” to “two-way communication.” Therefore, disclosing information in a timely, open, and transparent manner is the best choice when it comes to such disasters as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) crisis and the Wenchuan Earthquake. Presenting facts quickly but releasing information on causes prudently has become a principle for information disclosure. In addition, there are a growing number of innovative ways to respond in the Internet era.

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