Migrant populations should be granted equal rights, says a
signed article in Beijing News. An excerpt follows:
Governments at all levels face a tough task in better managing
and serving migrant populations.
The municipal government of Shanghai carried out a residence
certificate system in 2002, granting migrant labourers some
treatments enjoyed by their urban counterparts. In Shenzhen, the
residence certificate has included healthcare, education and many
other contents. The government of Beijing is also working on a
local regulation about migrant population management that has
aroused much attention.
It is not only a specific issue of migrant population management
and service but also an issue concerning social welfare, public
products, management mechanisms and human rights.
For more than half a century, permanent residence registration
has been the sole criterion for one to enjoy urban public products
such as healthcare, education, employment and social security.
Migrant workers, though contributing to the local economy, cannot
enjoy such products equally. Sometimes they are even guarded or
discriminated against.
Citizens should have equal rights in their country. It goes
against social equality and justice as well as basic social
principles if migrant populations in cities cannot equally enjoy
public products.
Migrant populations cannot have a sense of belonging to the city
they live in, which is no good for social order and stability and
will bring negative impacts to the management.
Institutional design has decisive influences. Scientific,
rational and just social policies and laws will build our society
in a positive way. Migrant labourers, especially those who have
realized stable employment in the city, should be granted treatment
equal to their urban counterparts.
It is notable that the municipal government of Beijing is to
include migrant populations in the public health service system.
But a broader vision is needed in the above-mentioned issues
concerning migrant populations.
Beijing should take the lead in this arena.
(China Daily October 12, 2006)