THE MAYOR OF BOZHOU in East China's Anhui province gave out a cellphone number to petitioners during a meeting with them last week, saying that he would take calls from them if need be. Beijing Times commented on Tuesday:

The mayor of Bozhou is not the first local senior official to give out a cellphone number or private email address to petitioners. Many have done the same in the past few years. That it still made headlines and gave rise to a heated online discussion about social governance indicates that the relationship between officials and the public can be closer.

In many cases, people's complaints and appeals remain unanswered or else not dealt with properly, and people have limited options to defend their legal interests against the will of government officials. That explains why the Bozhou mayor's disclosure of his phone number managed to strike a chord with many local residents.

The mayor's sincerity is laudable, but he could be overburdened by his daily work and might struggle to respond to every call he receives. So it remains to be seen how long the interaction will last.

In all likelihood, citizens' calls will be transferred to a hotline run by the mayor's secretaries or other government employees. In other words, he is sending a message that the government cares about people's livelihoods, rather than offering a means of direct contact.

The truth is, "call the mayor when in trouble" is not in line with modern governance. Modern governance rests on professionalism and efficiency. What is needed is a functioning mechanism for citizens to protect their interests, which is still lacking.