Top advisers speak up

The second plenary session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference closed on Wednesday. The suggestions its members put forward will have an impact on the central government's policymaking in one way or another.

This national advisory body comprises intellectuals and professionals from all walks of life, and its members are supposed to put forward motions on particular issues and voice their concerns about various problems.

That explains why Chairman of the CPPCC, Yu Zhengsheng, said at the opening of the session that its members should be willing to speak their minds, be bold enough to say what they want to say and tell the truth.

Except for some sensational remarks such as the classic novel Outlaws in the Marsh should be banned as the cruel fighting and killing it portrays does no good to the maintenance of social stability, there were indeed some very thought-provoking opinions and constructive suggestions put forward.

One CPPCC member severely criticized local governments for being too much involved in economic development which was causing production overcapacity in some industries. This member said that the governments were usually the least sensitive to market trends and their intervention in the making of economic policy causes problems for local economies.

There are many insightful opinions such as this. How these opinions will impact the policymaking of the central government and its local counterparts remains a question.

The number of motions the CPPCC members put forward during this session amounted to more than 5,000, and some of them targeted problems that are of common concern.

However, it is not enough for the CPPCC to just forward these motions to the relevant government departments. Experts need to be organized to conduct research on some of the important issues that the CPPCC members proposed in their motions or speeches, and then some may be developed into even more mature and constructive action plans for the central authorities to take into account when formulating national policies on particular issues.

For CPPCC members who put forward motions, stubbornly following how their motions are treated by the relevant government departments is a battle that needs to be fought now the session has ended. This is how the CPPCC's role as a political advisory body can be realized.