China strengthens powers of township people's congresses

A dangerous trail connecting 10,000 villagers in northwest China's Gansu Province to the outside world was replaced by an 18-kilometer gravel road earlier this year.

The big push came from Chen Yuhui, head of the Huangping Township people's congress. "Huangping cannot prosper without making transportation easier," said Chen.

Chen organized 45 deputies to the township people's congress to visit local villages in 2013 and submitted a report to higher authorities about the troubles villagers had traveling in the mountainous area. Thanks to Chen's efforts, the local government allocated 1.1 million yuan (169,672 U.S. dollars) to build the road.

"I never thought I could accomplish anything when I took this job seven years ago," said 42-year-old Chen, who was previously deputy head of the Huangping government. "However, now I feel that there are more and more things to achieve."

Township-level people's congresses like the one Chen leads are the lowest in China's five-tier system of people's congresses established in 1954.

Long stereotyped as "an old man, a rubber stamp and an annual meeting," township-level people's congresses have been plagued by poor operations, obscure duties, and low status.

The office Chen holds is widely considered an idle position, serving as a cushy post for officials before retirement. Usually its only task is to convene the people's congress once a year.

However, things are changing.

In August, China's top legislature adopted amendments to laws on the organization, election and staffing of local legislatures. The amendments empowered the presidium of township-level people's congresses to better oversee government work while the people's congresses are out of session.

According to the amendments, the presidium should regularly designate deputies to hear and review government reports of high priority for the public. They should also inspect law enforcement as well as take suggestions and criticism from the public and pass them on to relevant agencies.

Scholars believe the provisions are important measures to prevent the presidium from sitting idle while people's congresses are adjourned.

China has more than 1.94 million deputies to township-level people's congresses, representing roughly 73 percent of people's congress deputies at all levels.

Han Xu, a scholar with the Institute of Political Science under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said these deputies are crucial because they are directly elected by citizens and are more aware of the needs and concerns of people in remote areas.

"It's important to give full play to the role of low-level people's congresses in soliciting opinions, democratic consultation and collective decision-making on major regional development issues," Han said. "Many potential conflicts at the grassroots level could be solved or eased during the process."

Being head of a township-level people's congress no longer has to mean a dead-end job or the last stop in an official's career.

In 2012, Gansu's Longnan City moved to improve local people's congresses, making the job an important platform for training officials.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) committees in Longnan's counties allow job transfers among the heads of township-level Party committees, governments and people's congresses.

In Longnan's Kangxian County, the position is even considered necessary experience to be Party chief or county head. The average age of township-level people's congress heads in Kangxian is 32 years old.

"Only by fully motivating staff of local people's congresses can democracy at the grassroots be better developed," said He Xinglin, deputy director of the standing committee of the people's congress in Longnan City.

Li Rui, former president of the presidium of a township-level people's congress, was just elected head of Wangba Township in Kangxian in October. "My experience in the people's congress gave me opportunities for close contact with residents and will help me do better in my current job."

With the fast development of new media, local people's congresses are innovating to keep up with the times.

Li Zhukui, head of the people's congress of Anguo Township, Gansu, said citizens can now go online to submit their suggestions by scanning the congress's QR code.

"The online platform is very useful," Li said. "It can help more than 4,000 voters working outside the town to easily have their voice heard."