The municipal government of Shanghai has moved to keep the citizens informed of public affairs and ensure their right to supervise government administration and participate in the lawmaking process.

The government bulletin, once a token of supreme authority only for government offices, has been demystified for ordinary citizens, who can get a free copy at most newsstands, post offices, bookstores and neighborhood committees.

These bulletins have made government affairs known to the public, including personnel changes and government restructuring.

In another development, the Shanghai municipal government will launch a new website in October to publish administrative information of all the government offices and public service institutions in Shanghai.

"The citizens have to be informed of the public affairs before they make a decision or judgment or perform due supervision," aid Mei, a Shanghai citizen.

"I used to feel unsafe about my personal information held by the government authorities," he said, "A recent issue of the communiqu? tells me that a government organ has to give justifiable reasons before it collects personal data, and such data must not be used for commercial purposes."

Transparence in government administration aims to solve outstanding issues of the citizens' concern, especially problems with some powerful and lucrative departments and monopolistic public services, said a source of the municipal government.

According to him, Shanghai's taxation, communication, environment and price authorities have to notify the citizens of their respective rights and duty during the performance of administrative inspection or penalties.

Today, Shanghai residents are free to comment or give constructive suggestion on the public services. A recent poll shows that over 90 percent of the citizens are satisfied with the public services offered by their communities.

As Shanghai citizens know more about public affairs, they are able to voice their wills in the regional lawmaking process.

Earlier this year, Shanghai's legislative body held a public hearing before it enacted a law on how to settle injuries of primary and secondary school students.

Most representatives at the hearing expressed confidence that the law would represent the interest of the students as it embodies the views of many parties involved: parents, teachers, and lawyers.

A hotline was opened in July this year to hear public opinions on whether a fee should be levied on domestic waste. The discussion involved hundreds of citizens, whose opinions were studied and integrated into a draft on the maintenance of Shanghai 's environment and public sanitation.

Sources from Shanghai's legislative body said any draft laws and regulations concerning the citizens' interest will in the future be open to public opinions.

The lawmaking process is full of sunshine once it is open and transparent, said a professor in Shanghai. "It serves the interests of the ordinary citizens."

(China Daily 10/09/2001)