The local government's endorsement of the election of a 19-year-old as a village committee head shows its respect for public opinion, says an article in the Beijing Times. The following is an excerpt:

A 19-year-old girl has recently been elected to be the village committee chief of Gaojiecun village, Qingjian county, Shannxi province. This has aroused concern as to whether farmers really know how to rationally use their voting rights.

In fact, the elected girl joined the fray after no candidates had won enough votes in the first round of election. During the second election, the girl elaborated on what kind of work she would do for the villagers if she were elected. Finally, she cemented her victory by getting 450 votes out of the total 461.

Many people have doubted the grassroots elections, believing that rural villagers don't know how to elect their representatives because they are short-sighted and thus may easily submit their original ideas to petty profit or threats.

In fact no one knows better his or her own interests than voters themselves if an election is carried out in a fair manner. So, what we should worry about is not villagers' eligibility but instead how to ensure the fairness of the election.

The good news is that the local government has already approved the validity of this election, which shows its real respect for public opinion.

(China Daily February 9, 2009)