Guangdong Province is introducing a new regulation to make government work there more transparent.

Guangdong Provincial Regulations on Making Government Administration Open, which was passed by the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress on July 29, will come into effect from October 1 this year.

According to the 23-article regulation, all government affairs will be open to the public, except for confidential documents, business secrets and individuals' privacy, which are all protected by existing laws.

Local residents can have access to the government affairs that they are interested in through e-mail, telephone, fax and letters, according to Xu Shangwu, secretary-general of the Guangdong provincial government, yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference in Guangzhou, the provincial capital, yesterday, Xu said under the new rule, any official who obstructs the process would be given disciplinary punishment.

"The government officials concerned will be required to pay compensation if damages are caused because they provided fake government information or incomplete data, to the applicants," Xu added.

The regulation is the first of its kind in China that will require a government to make its administration and operation more open.

Currently, most local government departments refuse to answer inquiries from local residents, let alone explaining to them the government's policies and development plans.

Most local residents have welcomed the introduction of such a regulation.

Wang Cuilan, a Guangzhou resident, said the new regulation would certainly benefit the public since they will be able to be informed on major policies on finance, personnel exchanges, foreign affairs, trade and key industries before these policies go into effect.

Wang said she would consult the relevant departments about a new bus route and subway service, which would be available to the newly completed residential district where she lives.

Xiao Yuchong, a grade-three student in Guangzhou's Jinan University, said he would ask the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Personnel to explain their policies concerning personnel placement after the new regulation comes into effect in October.

"Then, I will decide whether or not to seek a job in the Guangdong provincial capital when I graduate next July," Xiao told China Daily yesterday.

Xu Shangwu said the new regulation is significant in that it will help eliminate red tape among the government departments in the future.

The new regulation, that will put the government administration and operations under the scrutiny of the public, will help the government departments, bureaux and units improve their efficiency and stamp out corruption.

(China Daily August 5, 2005)