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Members of China's leading political advisory body pledged
Wednesday to focus on practical issues to help improve the quality
of life of all Chinese people.
At Wednesday's opening ceremony of the Second Session of the
10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political
Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Chairman Jia Qinglin urged members
to study major government policies and issues of major concern in
society and make suggestions to help enhance social stability in
the country.
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"Though CPPCC is held annually, the topics of general interest
are by no means the same ones," said Qiu Wenbao, a CPPCC member
from the field of science.
Qiu, from Northeast China, plans to focus on the revitalization
of the old industrial bases in the region as well as the area's
ecological recovery.
Despite originally viewing the CPPCC membership as an honor, he
now sees it as a responsibility.
"I must reflect the voices of my fellow citizens and put forward
valuable questions," Qiu said.
Though coming from various fields, many members are particularly
concerned with farmers' issues.
Liu Zhenxia, a CPPCC member from the field of education, cares
in particular about education in China's vast rural areas.
"Improving their education level is my major concern," said Liu,
who finds that many farming families cannot afford the expensive
tuitions of the key middle and high schools.
Yang Zhifu, a CPPCC member from the field of agriculture and a
university professor, received many proposals from farmers before
attending the conference.
"It is an urgent task to tackle the problem of farmers losing
their land," he said, adding many farmers have lost their land but
not been reasonably compensated.
"During land transfers, the farmers should be compensated in
order to make a living," he said.
With an eye on the important tasks, the current session of 10th
CPPCC National Committee will examine a draft amendment to its
charter, said Jia in his report on the work of the standing
committee.
In-depth research was conducted and comments were widely
solicited from a broad range of people before drafting the
amendment, Jia said.
"Rarely in the history of the CPPCC have we listened to such a
wide range of comments and discussed issues in such depth as we
have done for the amendment to the charter," Jia told the annual
gathering of more than 2,000 members.
CPPCC is an organization of the Chinese people's patriotic
united front -- which brings together people from different
political parties or walks of life.
It is composed of representatives of the CPC, non-Communist
parties, personages without party affiliation, mass organizations,
ethnic groups and various sectors of society as well as
representatives from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, returned overseas
Chinese, and specially invited public figures. It is under the
leadership of the Communist Party of China.
Its main functions are to conduct political consultations and
democratic supervision and participate in the deliberation and
administration of State affairs, mainly through proposals and
suggestions. The CPPCC does not, however, enact legislation.
Reviewing the work done over the past year, Jia said
subcommittees of the CPPCC National Committee completed in-depth
investigations on a number of major issues, including rural
poverty, developing a modern logistics system, defining the
government's role in helping people find work and increasing rural
incomes in ethnic minority areas.
(China Daily March 4, 2004)
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