Recently, Guangzhou's tap water price adjustment plan was supported by more than half of the delegates at the hearing, but the result of hitting the threshold of more than half of the threshold made me fall into deep thought. This seemingly simple vote actually contains a complex entanglement of public opinion and system behind it.
It's amazing, I can't help but sigh. In a corner of the city, people would go to a hearing for the price of water and demand a price increase. There was an incredible sense of abundance in their words, as if the price increase had become their way of demonstrating their economic strength. This makes me wonder if our society has really become so rich that even basic living resources have to be valued by rising prices.
What puzzles me even more, however, is why each hearing seems to be a rehearsal for a price increase? Those who participated in the hearings seemed to be "in favor" of the pre-arranged hearings. Their words are full of understanding and support for the price increase, as if as long as they want to rise, they can easily achieve the so-called "public support". Can such hearings really reflect the true wishes of the people?
It seems to me that this mere formality of hearings has indeed lost its proper meaning. Hearings are supposed to be an important channel for the government to listen to the voices of the people and understand the people's feelings, but now they have become a formalistic performance. In such hearings, the voice of the people is often ignored or downplayed, and departmental decisions are often taken into the driver's seat. Such hearings not only waste taxpayers' money, but also undermine the public's trust in the government.
Of course, we can't deny that sometimes price increases are really helpless. With rising costs, scarcity of resources, and changes in policy orientation, the prices of some basic living resources do need to be adjusted. However, how to make this process more transparent and fair, so that the voice of the people can be truly valued, is a question we need to think about.
Perhaps, we can start from the following aspects. First, the supervision and regulation of hearings should be strengthened to ensure the fairness and transparency of hearings. At the hearing, the opinions and suggestions of the public should be fully listened to, rather than simply going through the motions. Second, it is necessary to strengthen the supervision and management of public resources to ensure the rational use and distribution of resources. Only in this way can we fundamentally avoid some unnecessary price increases. Finally, we also need to strengthen the cultivation and education of civic awareness, so that the public can better understand the work and policy orientation, so that they can look at the phenomenon of price increases more rationally.
On this issue, we may be able to learn from the practice of high-speed rail fare adjustment. When the high-speed rail fare is adjusted, the adjustment plan will be announced in advance, and the opinions and suggestions of the public will be widely solicited. This not only reflects respect for the will of the people, but also strengthens the people's trust in them. If we can introduce this practice into more public resource price adjustments, I believe that our society will be more harmonious and stable.
As an important form of democracy, hearings deserve our attention and attention. We should strive to make the hearings a platform that truly reflects public opinion and promotes democratic decision-making, rather than a formalistic performance. Only in this way can our societies be more just, transparent and stable.