Netizens are proffering numerous questions and advice for Premier Wen Jiabao with the start of the new sessions of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing.

"How does ordinary people like me afford expensive housing?" one asked. "What are the policies on education for migrant workers' children?" said another. These were just a few of the questions covering various aspects of people's livelihood on various websites which feature public opinion forums on the two sessions.

As of Tuesday, about 300,000 questions and offers of advice were listed on Xinhuanet.com, the portal of the official Xinhua News Agency. Over 1.5 million netizens had posted messages.

Unlike the detailed proposals by the CPPCC and NPC delegates, most online messages, both long and short, were frank, to the point and complimented the official proposals in many cases.

One netizen invited Wen to rethink the measures taken by the government in the recent snow disaster, some of which worked successfully while others needed modification.

"I wonder if Premier Wen can provide pension for peasant workers above 65 years old," wrote a netizen. "We only need one yuan (about 14 U.S. cents) for one meal, which is 90 yuan a month, to be happy in our later years."

On the People's Daily website Wen was invited by one netizen to listen to the real thoughts of the public. Compared to other mediums, the Internet was more comprehensive and more sincere for communication, the posting said.

Several years ago, Xinhuanet featured an "Ask the premier" forum. Each year the topics heated up as the public's sense of being masters of their own country rose, said Bai Lin,the portal's vice president and deputy editor-in-chief.

"The hit rate increased sharply during the questioning periods in recent years."

On the China Central Television (CCTV) website, netizens were being encouraged question the government about policies affecting their livelihood.

The government, which encouraged the portals to promote public participation before and during the two sessions, was planning to review some of the online suggestions.

CCTV wrote on its website that it wanted to "build a bridge between netizens and the government".

Actually, another job of the portals, such as Xinhuanet and the People's Daily online, was to collect public opinion for the government.

"We have editors categorize the messages every day and send them to the related government departments," said Xiao Hong, deputy director of the People's Daily Online forum. "Officials attach great importance to the online advice and give feedback frequently."

Xinhuanet's Bai added: "The new vacation policy being carried out this year referenced the online votes."

Liu Qibao, secretary of southwest Sichuan provincial Party committee, was one such official who replied online via Xinhuanet. "The Internet zooms in on the netizens' real thoughts for me."

The attitude of officials listening to the public's voice, combined with the rapid development of the Internet, has created a new avenue for the government to collect opinion.

Currently, Chinese netizens number about 210 million, about one-sixth of the country's population, according to official statistics released in January.

Premier Wen confirmed at the 2005 sessions he had noticed the millions of online questions. Many of the opinions deserve the government's profound consideration, he said. At the sessions the following year, he also mentioned the online opinions.

His observations made the country's online media believe such questions could be a new way for the public to participate in political affairs.

"The Internet has become a conduit for ordinary citizens to reach the highest officials. This is a new sign in the development of Chinese democracy," said Shen Baoxiang, a professor of the Party School of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

In October, the word "democracy" appeared 60 times in Chairman Hu Jintan's report at the 17th National Congress of the CPC. He stated the development of Chinese democracy amply in the report. "To Guarantee the people's rights to be informed, to participate, to be heard and to oversee" was written into the report. It was the first time the term "the rights to be heard" appeared in the National Congress of the CPC report.

This year, new technology has been applied to help cell phone users send text messages to portal websites.

Frequently, domestic netizens tend to spend weeks or even months discussing a hot topic online. The media describes it as "absent public opinion expression of CPPCC and NPC" and considered the netizens as "absent delegates".

However, not all opinions can be displayed on line. "Messages against the law or vicious rumors should be banned. The order of the Internet should be protected," said Xinhuanet's Bai.

(Xinhua News Agency, March 5, 2008)