As the Chinese government plans to reform the shangfang, or petition, system, some experts believe that, despite the system’s failings, it is still necessary as the legal system cannot withstand the high levels of discontent among the population. The South China Morning Post (via China Study Group) quotes a Qinghua scholar: “”Let’s look at the reality in China. Do we have a genuinely independent judiciary system? Do we have a genuinely independent National People’s Congress that can punish corrupt officials?’ Mr Kang [Xiaoguang] asked. ‘It is nonsense to say that we can scrap the petition system because we have a judicial system in place to resolve these problems.’ Instead, Mr Kang said petition offices should be given the authority to efficiently carry out their duties. ‘It should be strengthened and improved, not scrapped. If there is no petition system, local officials will act even more outrageously,’ he said.
Petition reforms a bid to ease social tensions
Posted by Sophie Beach | Nov 17, 2004
