ESWN has posted a number of documents about petitioners who travel to Beijing to air their grievances to the central government. One internal document, cited by Dajiyuan, said 3.1 million people petitioned in the month of September alone. While this number may not be accurate, it is clear that huge numbers of people feel this is their only recourse if they have been legally wronged. A report posted on Boxun cites a study of petitioners which concluded that the current petitioning system is a “historical anachronism” in need of reform. Apparently, the government has plans to reform the system, though it’s unclear what those changes might entail: “According to reports, the Chinese authorities are thinking about revising the 1995 National Petition Regulations. Earlier, a report from the Chinese Academy of Science titled ‘The Flaws Of The Petitioning System and Their Political Consequences’ also got the attention of the upper echelon in China. According to information, the Chinese officials believe that the petition system has reached a stage where it must be reformed. The Chinese government will follow the instructions from Hu Jintao and set up a new petitioning system.” The ESWN post is here.
Petition system in need of reform
Posted by Sophie Beach | Nov 7, 2004
