Zhang Huixin, vice secretary of the Central Commission for
Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, has called
on relevant departments to improve and fine-tune their handling of
petitions, and in particular to ensure that all petitions are
responded to.
Zhang said this during a meeting for complaints and petitions
work on March 24 in Beijing, according to a March 27 report in
China's Discipline Inspection and Supervision News.
Zhang said that an efficient petition process is an
indispensable and irreplaceable part of efforts to build a clean
and honest administration. The petition process is a way for
citizens to contribute to the anti-corruption campaign, and it is a
valuable source of clues and information for disciplinary and
supervisory organs investigating official corruption. Petitions
also invariably contain opinions and suggestions, some of which can
be taken into consideration by governments in their
decision-making.
Zhang stressed that all complaints and petitions should be
handled in a timely fashion. He added that the recording,
investigation and timely responses to petitions would be
supervised.
Zhang also warned that officials found to have violated
petitioners' rights, for example because a delay in the handling of
their petitions resulted in serious consequences, will be
disciplined.
(China.org.cn by Wu Nanlan, April 2, 2006)