At the fifth meeting of the Standing Committee of the 10th Shandong Provincial People's Congress later last month, 15 ordinary citizens from various Shandong localities took the lead to sit in on the meeting as citizen representatives. Wang Jiading, a 61-year-old retiree said: "The audit practice implemented by the Standing Committee is not a political show but a true move and a start to returning rights back to the people."

It is learned that the Standing Committee of the provincial people's congress released the notice allowing ordinary citizens to sit in on its meetings on November 12. Over 1,000 citizens called to request relevant information and 300 plus throughout the entire province decided to apply in just four days. On November 19, the office of the Standing Committee picked from the applicants 15 citizens, aged 21 to 61 with a wide range of professions such as public servants, journalists, teachers, lawyers, doctors, enterprise employees, peasants, entrepreneurs and retirees.

At the meeting, the 15 citizen representatives heard, along with members of the Standing Committee, reports concerning Shandong Provincial Administration Reconsideration Rules (draft), the draft revision of Shandong Noise Pollution Prevention and Control Rules, and the draft revision of Rules On Implementing the Trade Union Law in Shandong Province.

The 15 representatives were highlighted by the media as soon as the meeting ended. Liu Hua, a 51-year-old general manager of four chain stores, said delightfully: "I am the first to apply in Heze City. I am so glad I was picked by the committee. Through this auditing, I can gain better access to know well the state's policies and laws and to find a correct direction towards development and prosperity. Only in this way can our private economy develop and boom."

Li Donghua, a worker from Hubin Town Transportation Administrative Station in Boxing County, Binzhou City, said: "The audit allows us grass root citizens to join the conference and provides a new channel for citizens' participation in national affairs. It is a new measure to enhance interaction between the institutes of power and common citizens as well as a bridge of communication. We can see greatly improved transparency in government affairs."

Wang Jiading cannot contain his enthusiasm for the audit practice. He says: "As the first citizen to take a lawsuit against the government institute in Weifang City, my presence in the conference demonstrates the true will of the Standing Committee of the Shandong Provincial People's Committee. Last spring, I sued the local labor resource departments to answer charges of 'dereliction of duty, administration not in accordance with laws and regulations'. Only if the citizens stop suing government departments and the power institutes stop disturbing the citizens can we build a stable and better-off society."

From now on, according to a decision by the Standing Committee chairmen's meeting of the Shandong Provincial People's Congress, relevant departments will also arrange for citizens to attend and audit other relevant meetings and prescribe such an "audit practice" as a system.

(China.org.cn by Alex Xu and Daragh Moller, December 5, 2003)