Six decades on, China's top legislature beams vigor

(Xinhua) 12:24, March 03, 2014

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BEIJING, March 3 -- Veteran lawmaker Mao Fengmei considers himself well prepared forthe upcoming annual session of China's top legislature. This year, the 66-year-old's mainconcern is raising subsistence allowances for needy rural residents.

Mao has been a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) since 1993. Over the past21 years, he has submitted some 200 suggestions on over 60 issues of public concerns inrural areas.

"I am a farmer, so I know about the countryside," said Mao, who is also the deputysecretary of the village committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in DalishuVillage in Liaoning Province in northeast China.

Since 2012, Mao has been a staunch advocate of raising pensions for old-age ruralresidents.

Urban residents in China have long enjoyed better basic pension benefits compared tothose in the countryside under the separate pension systems.

For Mao, the current old-age pension for rural residents is simply too low, while bridgingsuch an urban-rural income gap would stimulate the rural economy by boostingconsumption in the countryside.

"The elders in my village live a rather good life thanks to our village's collectively-ownedenterprises, but this is not the case in many other villages I have visited," Mao said.

His suggestion drew prompt feedback from the authorities. The Ministry of Civil Affairshas invited lawmakers to conduct joint research on the issue, while the State Council alsopublished its decisions on the development of China's old-age care industry.

Mao said he had noticed the changes, and was pleased with the news. All of his suggestionsduring the past two decades have concerned agriculture, rural areas and farmers.

The farmer-turned legislator was also among the first lawmakers to suggest that theagricultural tax be exempted when serving as a deputy to the 9th NPC. That suggestioncame into reality in 2006.

"At that time, a lot of my fellow lawmakers could not believe that anyone would make sucha suggestion," he said. "So you could imagine how thrilled I was when that suggestioneventually came true."

Mao, who was elected as an NPC deputy in 2013 for the fifth time in a row, said, "I feel thegreat responsibilities on my shoulders as an NPC deputy."

Some 3,000 NPC deputies like Mao were elected for a five-year term last year. In China,deputies to county- and township-level people's congresses are directly elected by voters,while deputies to people's congresses above county level are elected by deputies at thenext lower level.

Unlike western lawmakers, most Chinese legislators hold another full-time job, workingacross the country in different sectors.

Such a level of diversity offers lawmakers considerable insight into China's nationalconditions and public opinions.

Compared with previous years, the lineup of the 12th NPC included more farmer- andworker-turned lawmakers. Young college graduate-turned village officials like Xian Runxiaalso made it into the NPC.

Born in 1984, Xian is the deputy Party secretary of the village committee of Shatou Villagein Guangdong Province in south China.

As one of the youngest deputies to the 12th NPC, Xian also believes that legislators holdingother full-time jobs best fits the country's conditions.

"My office is open to villagers all year round, so they can come in and chat with mewhenever they want, and I can gather a huge amount of information at grass root levelswhen working," Xian said.

"If you act in a really serious way, they (the villagers) probably will not talk to you," shesaid.

The current system allows the top legislature to hear what people are saying at grass rootlevels, she said.

Still, aside from chatting with fellow villagers, Xian would also do her homework andconduct research before making suggestions on a certain issue as a legislator.

This year, her suggestions will focus on the rural water environment and social values heldby young Chinese.

According to official figures, authorities received some 7,500suggestions following lastyear's "two sessions" -- namely the NPC session and the annual session of the NationalCommittee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top politicaladvisory body.

He Yehui, deputy secretary-general of the 12th NPC Standing Committee, said Chineselawmakers play a key role in formulating capital decisions of the country and in supervisingthe national organs of state power.

Meanwhile, they have also fulfilled their duties by presenting motions and suggestions ofpublic concerns, he said, adding that these motions and suggestions can only stem fromextensive contacts with the people.

Hundreds of motions and thousands of suggestions are presented every year, butidentifying public concerns and making suggestions are still a long way off before actuallysolving the problems.

"It takes time for the government to look into the matter after a suggestion is made, toconduct comprehensive research and alter its policies," said Mao.

"I have been contacted more often than before over the past years by the NPC andrelevant authorities with the State Council," he said, recalling changes over the past twodecades.

"Sometimes they would brief me on updates as to the status of my suggestions, sometimesthey want to verify the facts, and sometimes they would invite me to a symposium," hesaid.

Indeed, for the State Council, how to respond to lawmakers' suggestions is of vitalimportance.

On Feb. 7, Premier Li Keqiang presided over an executive meeting of the State Council,which began with hearing a report on the progress made in responding to the suggestionsmade by lawmakers in 2013.

According to the report, authorities have responded to some 88 percent of suggestions and92 percent of motions presented by legislators last year, while the majority of problemsraised were solved.

Six decades after the First NPC was convened in 1954, the people's congress system is stillbeaming with vigor.

Although it is largely different from the western parliamentary system, the people'scongress system will continue on its course toward perfection, and will serve as the politicalbasis for the Chinese dream of the national rejuvenation.

（Editor：ZhangQian、Gao Yinan）