Author: Zhang Gong (Professor, Law School, Chinese Min University)
General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed in his important speech at the conference celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China: "People's democracy in the whole process of development." In 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out when inspecting the grass-roots legislative contact points of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in Hongqiao Street, Shanghai: "People's democracy is a kind of democracy in the whole process, and all major legislative decisions are produced through scientific decision-making and democratic decision-making in accordance with procedures and democratic brewing. This year, the Party Central Committee issued the "Plan for the Construction of a Rule of Law China (2020-2025)", proposing to unswervingly follow the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics and strive to build a rule of law China with good law and good governance. Good law is the prerequisite for good governance, and legislation is the "first kilometer" of the rule of law. In legislative work, we adhere to the people's democracy in the whole process, improve institutional mechanisms, and deeply promote open-door legislation and democratic legislation to ensure that legislation better reflects the people's will, protects the people's rights and interests, stimulates the people's creative vitality, and consolidates the cornerstone of good law and good governance.
Adhere to the people-centered approach. The people are the fundamental force that determines the future and destiny of the party and the country. The broadest and deepest foundation of people's democracy in the whole process lies in the people, and it is its salient feature to serve the people and rely on the people. To uphold people's democracy in the whole process in legislative work, we must always adhere to the people-centered approach and respect the people's status as the main body. Persist in implementing the people's interests, reflecting the people's wishes, safeguarding the people's rights and interests, and improving the people's well-being in the entire process of legislative work in all fields. Actively respond to the people's new demands and expectations, systematically study and solve prominent problems that the people have strongly complained about in legislative work, continuously enhance the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security, and use high-quality legislation to ensure that the people live and work in peace and contentment.
Strengthen the ties between people's congress deputies and the masses. In our country, the people elect their own deputies through democratic elections, form people's congresses at all levels, and exercise state power in a unified manner. On the basis of the principles of universal, equal, combined direct and indirect elections, as well as differential and secret ballots, our country guarantees the equal right to vote for all in accordance with the law. It is necessary to realize the election of people's congress deputies in urban and rural areas in the same proportion of the population, and to ensure that there are an appropriate number of deputies in all regions, nationalities, and all aspects. In legislative work, China adheres to people's democracy in the whole process, earnestly guarantees the people's right to vote and be elected, and earnestly guarantees the people's right to supervise deputies. People's congress deputies have always maintained close ties with the masses, there are more and more platforms and channels for communication and contact, systems are becoming more and more perfect, and they are constantly listening to the opinions and suggestions of the masses of the people, so that legislation can fully reflect the will of the people, fully realize the people's rights, and fully protect the people's rights and interests.
Ensure the full participation of people's congress deputies. Give full play to the institutional advantages of people's democracy in the whole process, ensure that people's congress deputies fully participate in legislation, and give play to the role of people's congress deputies as a bridge between people's congress deputies coming from the people and taking root in the people, so that legislation can better ground the people, observe the people's feelings, gather the wisdom of the people, and benefit the people's livelihood. The NPC earnestly ensures that NPC deputies fully understand and deliberate bills with high quality, and directly participate in the exercise of state legislative power. Thoroughly study the deputies' motions and suggestions, persist in making overall plans for the handling of the motions and suggestions of the people's congress deputies and the preparation of legislative planning plans, and promptly put matters of concern to the masses on the legislative agenda. Strengthen the ties between the NPC Standing Committee and the NPC deputies, and promote the in-depth participation of the NPC Deputies in the legislative work of the NPC Standing Committee. The participation of people's congress deputies in the whole process of legislation has become an important channel for practicing people's democracy in the whole process and has raised the level of scientific and democratic legislation.
Expand channels for democratic legislation. Innovating legislative methods, improving work measures, and expanding the people's participation in the whole process and all links of legislative work are vivid embodiments of people's democracy in legislative work throughout the process. Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress has issued a series of important measures to ensure that all aspects of legislative work, such as project establishment, drafting, deliberation, argumentation, evaluation, supervision, and publicity, can extensively gather the wisdom of the people and fully carry forward democracy. In particular, the innovative measure of establishing grass-roots legislative contact points has built a "through train" that reflects the people's feelings, listens to the people's opinions, and gathers the wisdom of the people, and strengthens the direct and orderly participation of the grass-roots masses in legislative work. The interaction and communication between the national legislature and the people is becoming more and more convenient and efficient, effectively promoting the continuous improvement of the quality of legislation.
Source: People's Daily