Direct election tried

As initiated during the 16th CPC National Congress in 2002, the CPC has been trying to improve democracy within its own system by increasing transparency in Party affairs and encouraging participation in the decision-making process. Direct election, instead of assigning officials from top to bottom, is one of the Party's efforts.

A pilot program of direct elections at the grassroots level, initiated in 2004 by the Communist Party committees of a chosen neighborhood in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province, was expanded earlier this year to 363 urban neighborhoods there, covering almost half of the city population, according to a Xinhua report last week.

Candidates were produced in three ways: self-recommendation, or recommendation by their fellow Party members or by the committee.

The nominees should attend debates, lobby for votes and respond to public questions.

According to a survey by the organization department of the Nanjing municipal committee of the Communist Party, more than 90 percent of the Party members in the neighborhoods cast their ballots this year.

The move is considered a significant sign to boost the CPC's desire to advance its internal democracy which, it is anticipated, will drive ahead the building of democracy in Chinese society, said Cai Xia, a professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

"To a great extent, the progress of China's political reform rests with the development of CPC's intra-Party democratic reform, which is essential to optimize Party organization," Cai said.

Liu Changjiang, a professor at the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee Party School, said the practice complies with the trend of the country's political-system reform and effectively puts in place Party members' right to know, participate, choose and supervise, according to the Shanghai-based Oriental Daily yesterday.

The public's demands are often overlooked by past election practices characterized by direct appointment, Liu told the paper.

Wang Qi, a standing committee member of the Nanjing Municipal Party Committee and Organization Department, told the paper that Nanjing is ready to elect more leaders by public recommendation and direct election in the future.

Anti-graft on agenda

"The key issue of anti-corruption is the supervision of power, which is also set to be discussed at the meeting," Mao said. "Issues will be discussed such as how to enhance each committee member's power to monitor the committee leader's practice. "

Mao, however, argued that it might not prove to be an efficient method for the anti-corruption drive to ask public servants to declare their personal possessions, which many expect to be discussed during the Party session this year.

"For one thing, the information of those assets to be declared is enormous, which makes it almost impossible for the public to supervise," Mao said, adding that it would be difficult to verify whether the officials hide their assets or not.

Mao, however, said it could be an inspiring measure for clean officials.

(Global Times September 16, 2009)