Liu Jiahai, 35, was so excited to hear that his suggestion about legislation was adopted by the legislature in Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

During the open campaign to collect legislative suggestions, which was initiated by the Standing Committee of the People's Congress in Guangxi, Liu said there was the need for a law enforcement regulation for administrative organs.

After graduating from the East China College of Political Science and Law, Liu has been engaged in law enforcement within grassroots administrations for about 10 years, during which he has accumulated many ideas on the subject.

His suggestion, as an item for the 2003-07 agenda, will soon be submitted to the Standing Committee for review.

"The committee offered me an opportunity to transmit the grassroots opinions directly to the legislators," Liu said.

The committee has received 378 mailed or e-mailed suggestions on legislation, including 116 items from individuals, since it began calling for them in May, according to Shang Wenjuan, director of the legal office under the Standing Committee.

The legislative suggestions covered political, economical and social matters in the autonomous region, along with some hot topics such as labour and social security, the protection of young people's rights and interests, and law enforcement.

"The citizens gave lots of constructive opinions, which will help to improve the quality of legislation," Shang said.

The committee has not only absorbed the suggestions but also paid attention to listening to legal experts and lawyers.

According to Chinese legislative law, legislation should reflect the will of the people and guarantee their participation in legislation through various channels.

In the past, legislatures collected suggestions from the public only after laws and regulations were drafted.

But now, the people can give their opinions during the drafting periods, broadening the democratic legislation channels.

The practice in Guangxi has been followed by other provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Sichuan, Henan, Jiangsu, Hunan and Xinjiang.

(Xinhua News Agency December 22, 2003)