The change of personnel at local levels, however, may
shed more light on China's political progress.
This year many local governments have instituted new
practices to regulate the appointment, promotion and discipline of
officials.
Some of these practices may end in bubbles like most
bluff-and-bluster campaigns of the past. But there remain some that will be
recorded as valuable innovations in China's pursuit of clean and efficient
governance.
Earlier this month a publicly acclaimed candidate was
elected magistrate of Peixian County in the eastern province of Jiangsu, the
first time in China that all links in the appointment of a county chief were
made open.
Seventy local officials ran in the contest, which started
in October. They had to pass preliminary selection by fellow officials in the
region, appraisal by the province's Party organization, open speech and question
fielding, and a public opinion poll before coming to the local People's Congress
for election.
In the public opinion poll conducted in the county of
1.18 million residents, only the top three candidates moved on to the next
procedure.
The election process was widely praised among local
congress members and citizens, largely because of the procedural transparency,
which was different from past elections in which voters had to decide on
unfamiliar faces.
So far only village heads in China are chosen through
direct votes by villagers. Administrative chiefs at higher levels are elected by
people's delegates at these levels.
There is no indication that Peixian's experience will be
introduced nationwide in a short time. Its preliminary magistrate candidates
were also limited to local officials at certain ranks only.
However, the open nomination of county chief still has
far-reaching implications.
The transparent process, as one local official put it,
"smashed the dream of some to bribe their way to the post."
It will also strengthen local residents' confidence in
the administration and awaken their care for local governance that directly
relates to their interests.
The new nomination process, upheld as a major
breakthrough in the way of appointing officials, is winning hearts in more
places in Jiangsu.
Some townships in the affluent province have already
elected their heads through public recommendation and open nomination. Major
cities such as Nanjing and Huaiyin plan to introduce the method in district
elections.
Despite the great room left for perfection of this
initiative, it is a departure from the secretive old practices that may arouse
associations to behind-the-scene dealings.
In some parts of the country, authorities have gone
further by proving that officials can take the easy way out.
In August, the municipal government of Changsha, capital
of Central China's Hunan Province, released a decree that provides for penalties
to officials who exaggerate merits, conceal negative information, acquiesce in
irregularities committed by subordinates, or underperform in contingencies and
cause serious consequences.
Responsibilities of government offices were later
published in local newspapers for public surveillance.
The practice was a blow to the old notion held by many
bureaucrats that not making trouble is enough to secure their rice
bowls.
Some veteran officials in the city even sighed that it is
increasingly difficult to muddle on in the official ranks.
In November in the southwestern province of Sichuan,
authorities announced a policy requiring officials to resign for mistakes in
decision-making that lead to big losses.
It is a harsh measure in the country. Wrong-doing
officials, unless liable for criminal offenses, are usually subject only to
"internal disciplines" within the government.
With growing income as well as rising political
awareness, Chinese people are demanding better government
services.
On the top, the ruling Communist Party of China coined
the phrase "political civilization" at its national congress late last year,
which refers mainly to democracy and good governance.
Fair and transparent official appointments and discipline
systems are undoubtedly key to that goal.
The populist approach by the new national leadership
demonstrates its down-to-earth efforts to build a system that is responsive to
public needs and expectations.
Admittedly, the moves taken by local governments this
year alone are far from enough. Some of them will be proven ineffective, while
some may need to be written into statutory books for application
nationwide.
But as an old Chinese saying goes, "It's better to move
slowly than to stand still."
Local governments' initiatives in personnel affairs are
pointed in the right direction for the country's political
evolution.
(China Daily )
