Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 7th Title: Better play to the significant advantages of the People's Congress system - deputies and deputies review and discuss the draft amendment to the Representative Law

Xinhua News Agency reporter

The Representative Law is a basic law that regulates and guarantees the National People's Congress representatives to exercise their representative powers, perform their representative obligations, and play the role of representatives in accordance with the law. The review of the "Delegation Law of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China and local people's congresses at all levels (Draft of Amendment)" is an important agenda of the Third Session of the 14th National People's Congress. CPPCC members attending the Third Session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference also discussed the draft amendment Law.

This is the fourth time that the Representative Law has been revised since its implementation in 1992. The amendment draft has made amendments from nine aspects, including enriching the provisions of the general provisions, expanding and deepening the "two links" system and mechanism, improving the work capacity building of the NPC deputies, the activities of representatives during the recession period, the guarantee of the performance of their duties, and improving the mechanism for handling representative proposals and suggestions.

"Amending the Representative Law is of great significance to developing people's democracy throughout the process and giving full play to the role of the NPC deputies." Zhou Guangquan, deputy chairman of the Constitution and Law Committee of the 14th National People's Congress and dean of the School of Law of Tsinghua University, said that the draft revised important contents such as improving the capacity building of the work of NPC deputies, providing guarantees for performance of duties, and handling representative proposals and suggestions, and timely summarized the practical experience of the NPC work in the new era, which will greatly improve the institutionalization, standardization and procedural level of the work of NPC deputies, and promote the steady and long-term development of the People's Congress system.

Representative Zhang Zijian, Secretary of the Chuxiong Prefecture Party Committee of Yunnan Province, believes that the amendment of the Representative Law is of great significance to ensure that the representatives perform their duties in accordance with the law and ensure that the Party’s theories, lines, principles, policies and decisions and deployments are fully implemented and effectively implemented in national work through the People’s Congress system.

Enhance the ties between state organs and the deputies of the National People's Congress and the people is a clear requirement of the Party Central Committee and an important measure to strengthen and improve the work of representatives. A highlight of this revision is the addition of content in expanding and deepening the "two ties" system and mechanism, and giving full play to the role of the National People's Congress deputies at all levels as a bridge for the Party and the country to connect with the people.

In the view of Huang Baorong, deputy director of the Gansu Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, the highlights of this revision are prominent, which not only clarifies the principles and requirements of state organs to contact representatives, but also adds regulations, requiring the Standing Committees of the People's Congress at or above the county level and township people's congress presidiums to maintain close contact with representatives; at the same time, improve the "one government, one committee, two courts" system of contacting representatives, and inquire representatives according to the overall arrangements of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress at the same level, delegates are invited to participate in related work and activities, listen to the opinions and suggestions of representatives, so that all parties can pay more attention to the opinions of representatives.

"This revision emphasizes enriching the content and form of the NPC deputies in contact with the people, and can guide our grassroots representatives to better listen to and reflect the opinions and requirements of the people." Representative Mao Xianglin, secretary of the Party Branch of Xiazhuang Village, Zhuxian Township, Wushan County, Chongqing, introduced that in Xiazhuang Village, through courtyard meetings, research visits, "representative activity day", the voice of the people is gathered through multiple channels. Last year, he received nearly 100 people and put forward a number of constructive opinions to the township party committee and government.

This amendment combines practical practices in recent years to further standardize the activities of representatives during the recess of the conference, and adds a path for the implementation of representative groups based on regions, fields, etc.

"The work of NPC deputies during the conference and activities during the intersessional period are both the performance of representative positions. The intersessional period should be an important opportunity for NPC deputies to closely connect with the masses." Representative Han Feng, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and dean of the School of Pharmacy of Nanjing Medical University, believes that a single representative has limited professional capabilities, while the representative group can integrate collective wisdom and break the bottleneck of performing duties. He suggested innovating and developing the working model of the representative group to better play the functions of the representative group.

The representatives and deputies said that the draft amendment further revised and improved the relevant provisions for the performance of their duties for representatives, which will help stimulate the enthusiasm of representatives to perform their duties and create a good atmosphere for supporting representatives' work.

When representatives with physical disabilities or other mobility difficulties stipulated in the amendment draft perform their representative positions, the relevant departments should provide necessary help and care as needed. Representative Wang Yongcheng, Vice Chairman of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, was deeply impressed. As the only blind representative among the 14th National People's Congress deputies, he "read" the Braille version of the government work report with his hands and received special stationery for blinds prepared by the National People's Congress for him to facilitate the performance of duties during the meeting.

"The amendment to the Representative Law has allowed representatives of disabled people to feel the 'touchable' democracy and the 'visible' happiness, and has solved their worries for more representatives of disabled people to go deep into the grassroots and listen to the people's voices." Wang Yongcheng said.

Zhou Yuan, founder and CEO of Zhihu, said that the amendment clearly states that modern information technology can be used to establish and improve a network platform for representatives to perform their duties, and provide convenience and services for representatives to perform their duties and study. He suggested that the revised representative method be included in the basic subjects of representative training, and the representative's sense of mission, responsibility and honor will be continuously enhanced.

"In improving the relevant regulations on the performance of representatives' duties, one of them specifically proposes to strengthen the publicity of representatives' performance of their duties." Representative He Guanghua, director of the Cable Operation Inspection Center of State Grid Wuxi Power Supply Company, believes that promoting typical deeds of representatives' performance of duties in accordance with the law through various methods can not only show the vivid practice of practicing people's democracy in the whole process, but will also inspire more representatives' enthusiasm for actively performing their duties.