Congress welcomes public opinion (02/20/2003)

Duan Liqing, a National People's Congress (NPC) delegate from North China's Shanxi Province, is still thrilled by an example of the implementation of the opening-up policy in legislation during 2001.

"Although my hometown, Luliang, is quite poverty-stricken, some married men enjoyed the company of an ernai (mistress). I wanted to help their long-suffering wives for some time, but was prevented until 2001 by a lack of legal regulation on the issue," Duan recounted.

Following a comprehensive investigation of four counties and seven villages in rural Luliang, Duan approached the NPC with her proposal to amend the Marriage Law, which had been effective since 1981, in an effort to protect victims of domestic violence.

On adoption of the proposal in 2001, NPC Standing Committee invited Duan to attend a regular conference as a non-voting delegate.

Duan's three recommendations on how to tackle the ernai issue and the domestic violence problem were adopted by the NPC Standing Committee.

"This was the first time I was able to take part in the process of revising laws," said Duan.
The NPC along with its Standing Committee both permitted to introduce new laws and revise current legislation. The NPC only meets annually, while its Standing Committee have bimonthly sessions.

The General Office of the NPC has a tradition of inviting some NPC delegates who are not Standing Committee members, like Duan, to attend the sessions, so that their opinions can be taken into consideration during the legislative process.

Nearly 3,830 suggestions were received from across the country in one month, after the NPC released the amended draft of the Marriage Law in early 2001.

"This is the biggest participation by residents in legislation in recent years," said a press release issued by the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, noting that the Standing Committee had taken into account many of the suggestions when revising the draft.

A meticulous consultative process is adopted with every proposed amendment to legislation, with the Standing Committee seeking advice on drafts from the central government, the standing committees of local people's congresses of municipalities, provinces and autonomous regions, as well as research centres.

Laws which are of particular significance to residents' lives are released on state media to gauge public opinion. Laws that have undergone this advisory process include the Marriage Law, the Contract Law and the Land Management Law.

During the Ninth NPC's five-year tenure, expert appraisement meetings were introduced in the event of a division, for example, during the revising of the Law for the Preservation of Cultural Relics.


(China Daily)