By Li Shuqiao (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-12-06 06:47

In his report to the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in October, General Secretary Hu Jintao stressed the guarantee of the people's right to be informed, to participate, to be heard, and to oversee. This is the first time that the key document of the CPC Central Committee elaborates on the right to expression.

It can be expected that China will make steady progress in expanding socialist democracy in the future.

The right to expression can be conveyed through words, behavior or silence. It covers group interests, and opinions and ideas about major political, economic, social and cultural issues concerning the public.

The construction of a socialist market economy will diversify social interests. The appearance of different social groups and a new social strata well prove this. It is the basic right of citizens to express their views because it guarantees social stability and establishes an avenue for the expression of varying social opinions.

Hu pointed out in his report that: "We must ensure that all power of the State belongs to the people, expand the citizens' orderly participation in political affairs at each level and in every field, and mobilize and organize the people as extensively as possible to manage State and social affairs as well as economic and cultural programs in accordance with the law."

This means granting citizens the right to express their opinions and articulate their ideas on major public issues and implement the principle that the people are the masters of the country.

Political institutional reform is more complicated than reform of the economic system. This means that institutional reform should be carried out steadily. The biggest problem impeding the reform is that there is a lack of social consensus on major issues though the direction of reform is clear.

To guarantee people's right to expression is the way to resolve social contradictions and the incubator for public consensus.

The ideological trends in China today can be categorized into three groups according to their sources: the ones introduced from the former Soviet Union, the ones imported from the West and the ones born and bred locally. It would be good to grant these different thoughts more leeway for their expressions in order to realize social consensus.

To guarantee citizens' right to expression is an effective way to pool the people's wisdom. This is because national wisdom and strength is needed for institutional reform.

The expression of opinions also helps to realize scientific and democratic decision-making.

It is also a basic way of guaranteeing and applying the rule of law. Article 35 of the Constitution says that "Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration." The Constitution recognizes citizens' right to express their opinions and wishes as a basic right.

At present our economic strength has increased substantially, major breakthroughs have been made in reforms and opening up, and people's living standards have improved significantly. More progress has been made in improving democracy and the legal system. Cultural and social development is proceeding in an orderly way and the people's enthusiasm for participation in political affairs is growing constantly.

Under such new historical conditions, guaranteeing citizens' right to expression helps develop socialist democracy as well as realize the rule of law. This will demonstrate whether the leadership can meet the requirements of the new age, and whether the governing capacity can endure the tests set by the new environment.

The author is a retired professor and the former director of the Comprehensive Teaching and Research Department with the China National School of Administration

(China Daily 12/06/2007 page10)