Chongqing Municipality's very recent move to
make public the responsibilities of its mayor and vice-mayors
seemed quite a sensation locally. It was even said to be the first
time this had happened nationwide.
We congratulate the citizens of the southwestern city on the
latest addition to their right to know, though such information is
long overdue.
But the proud label for their city as a pioneer in political
transparency is regrettably untrue.
Instead they are late-comers, at least one year behind the real
pioneers. It only takes a click on the Internet to see the truth.
Many, if not all, official websites of local governments have a
special section telling you who is responsible for what in
government offices.
Front-runners in the country's experiments on political
transparency have gone far beyond publishing the job descriptions
of local leaders.
Residents of Chongqing Municipality will find out how much more
they can expect if they take a look at the website of the city of
Handan, Hebei Province: www.handan.gov.cn. Many
ordinary citizens' questions about the operation of the municipal
apparatus will be answered there.
In the "Municipal Government Leaders" section one can see in
great detail the responsibilities of the mayor and vice-mayors,
along with each person's resume, email address and office phone
number.
The authority of the mayor, for example, is on display in a list
of 92 powers such as examination and approval of land seizures and
the command of flood relief. It also includes the legal or policy
basis for each of these powers.
Once an administrative decision is made by the mayor, there is a
set procedure for its publication in accordance with its nature. If
it is about land seizure, for example, it has to be published at
the local venue for land transactions as well as in local media; if
it is to do with the suspension of water supply, the information
must be released in the form of a government decree and also as an
online notice.
There is even a column showing whether or not the mayor's
service in each aspect entails a charge, and the basis of such a
charge if it does.
Like many government websites, that of the government of Handan
also provides roadmaps for institutions and individual citizens who
need assistance from local authorities.
For most of us who are accustomed to the veil of secrecy
surrounding our government offices, what happened in Handan is
something almost revolutionary.
It is almost revolutionary in the sense that it has translated
the promise of openness and transparency into practical convenience
in the public's interaction with government.
The most reliable defense against a misbehaving government is to
place it under public scrutiny, which is impossible if our citizens
remain in the dark.
We hope the experiments in Handan soon become the norm in other
parts of the country, Chongqing included.
(China Daily April 26, 2006)