Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Well, let's not have elections, just polls

Could your students explain how this idea complements the ideas of democratic centralism?

Public poll to help judge work of officials

"The central government is using a public poll for the first time to help assess the performance of officials and give people a greater say in deciding their promotions.

"The National Bureau of Statistics, authorized by the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, began the popularity poll a few days ago.

"The move comes amid intensified government efforts to root out corruption in officials' promotions.

"About 80,000 employees of government departments, State units and enterprises, and ordinary people will be asked to comment on the performance of officials. The interviewees will have to judge the fairness in promotions.

"The central leadership put the popularity index of governments and their officials in its recent blueprint on anti-corruption drive.

"An Organization Department official told Xinhua that the survey was designed to feel the pulse of the public. The department notice makes it clear that the survey must be free of local governments' intervention...

"'Officials used to be bothered only about their superiors. But now the survey will force them to pay more attention to the public,' Wang Yukai, an expert with the National School of Administration, said.

"The popularity poll comes at a time when tensions between officials and the public have intensified, he said..."


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