China's legislators asked to raise profile in daily life

Deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, are asked to perform their duties well even when the NPC is adjourned, according to a NPC document which has been issued.

"NPC deputies may solicit views of people in their constituencies by the means of holding symposiums, making public their e-mails and through websites of the NPC system," according to the document of guidelines on enhancing and regulating activities of NPC deputies, issued by the General Office of the NPC Standing Committee.

The document, part of the on-going substantial effort to further beef up the role of NPC deputies and the NPC system that has won the strong support of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, also spelled out other activities for NPC deputies when the NPC is not in session.

The NPC Standing Committee, says the document, will organize NPC deputies each year to conduct one year-end inspection trip and one mid-year special investigation and study trip in their constituencies.

During these trips, the deputies are entitled to give views or criticize the performance of organizations they visit but are not inclined to directly involve in addressing relevant issues. In the special probe trips, the NPC deputies are expected to write reports on the outcome of their investigations and surveys and submit them to the NPC Standing Committee.

It says the NPC deputies may report contents of petitions they received from the public directly to relevant government agencies. They may also transfer the petitions to departments of the NPC Standing Committee, which will forward them to relevant government departments to be addressed. Relevant government agencies have duty bound to report on the outcome of these petitions, a procedure that will be monitored by the NPC Standing Committee.

The document also pledges more measures to safeguard the right to know of the NPC deputies, including increasing budget for their off-session activities, ordering the units they work for to guarantee their salaries, bonuses and other welfare treatment and the time to perform their duties as NPC deputies.

A recent circular issued by the CPC Central Committee ordered various regions and departments to assiduously implement guidelines of the Leading Party Group of the NPC Standing Committee on giving greater scope to NPC deputies and stepping up the institutional improvement of the NPC Standing Committee.

Adhering to and improving the system of people's congresses is a major part of the contents to develop socialist democracy, improve the socialist legal system, build socialist political civilization and constructing a socialist harmonious society, says the circular.

It also urges all facets of society to support people's deputies to perform their duties in accordance with law and help improve the organizational system and work style of people's congresses and their standing committees.

Source: Xinhua