Top legislator Li Peng Thursday urged the legislative departments
of the people's congress at all levels to effectively ensure
farmers' rights of autonomy according to the Organic Law of
Villagers' Committees of China.
The system of democratic election, making decisions on village
affairs by villagers themselves, and making public the village
affairs, have been improved constantly since the revised law was
enacted in November 1998.
"The implementation of the law in the countryside, an important
part of China's practice of ruling the country by law, will help
farmers to be their own masters,'' said Li, chairman of the
National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.
Li
made the remarks at a meeting yesterday on preparations for the
inspection of the law enforcement in northeast China's Jilin
Province, south China's Hainan Province, northwest China's Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region and east China's Shandong Province as well
Fujian Province next month.
Headed by Cao Zhi, vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee,
five inspection groups will travel to these areas to check how the
law is implemented there and gain useful experience.
Great achievements have been made in the countryside's grassroots
democratic construction in the more than two years since the law
has been in force, said Minister of Civil Affairs Doji Cering
yesterday.
There are more than 730,000 grassroots villager committees in
China.
Doji said in most places where new elections of villagers'
committees have been conducted in the past two years, more than 90
percent of the farmers got involved.
To
ensure the farmers' democratic rights, various levels of
departments of civil affairs in northeast China's Heilongjiang
Province have punished 1,760 illegal acts and conducted 234 new
elections in 2000.
However, problems still exist, warned Doji.
Some local governments do not give enough support to villagers'
autonomy and even delay the new elections.
The ministry also advised amending the law after soliciting
comments from different walks of life.
"When the law is embraced by farmers, it will help the countryside
become more prosperous, democratic and civilized,'' said Doji.
(China Daily 06/01/2001)