Scanning codes makes consultation easier

After submitting an application to an online consultation platform in Huai'an, Jiangsu province, Kang Xinyi was pleased to see that a new road had been built in three months for children to go to school.

The resident of the city's Lianshui county had been troubled for years by a dilapidated road that village children used to walk to school.

"That country road was run down by heavy trucks all year round," said Kang. "The rocks scattered on the road and the mud on rainy days made it dangerous for the children. We asked the village to repair it, but the proposal was dismissed due to the village's limited budget."

Kang submitted an application to get the road repaired in 2021 after hearing about an online consultation platform established by the Huai'an People's Political Consultative Conference in June.

The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference is a network of political advisory groups, and its members are advisers to government, legislative and judicial organs and also put forward proposals on major political and social issues. The fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee is scheduled to open on March 4 with about 2,000 national political advisers attending.

"I was astonished that the government sent workers to the site within a very short time," Kang said. "They accompanied us to examine the road and the environment, and they consulted with the village on the financing. We finally reached an agreement that a small road would be built for children to use next to the big dilapidated road, and after that they would help us to gradually repair the big road."

"Every procedure of consultation, investigation and construction can be monitored by the villagers on the online platform," she said. "It can really help us solve problems."

The online platform, which has solved hundreds of problems, is called "Consultation by Simply Scanning the QR Code" and belongs to the Huai'an People's Political Consultative Conference.

By scanning the QR code, people living in the city can ask for help and participate in politics. Each of the 1,700 villages and communities in Huai'an has its own QR code to enter the online consultation room.

Efforts have been urged to enhance the CPPCC's role as a specialized consultative body and translate its institutional strengths into effective governance of the country, according to the work report of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee.

While presenting the report in March, Wang Yang, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, said, "We must constantly enrich the institutional practice of the principle that the people's affairs should be discussed by the people themselves."

Wang called for political advisers to enhance their ability to consult with people from different sectors so that they can serve as bridges for conveying demands, pooling wisdom and promoting consensus.

Qi Shouyu, Party secretary and chairman of the Huai'an People's Political Consultative Conference, said that the purpose of establishing the online platform is to use the simplest and most convenient method to encourage people to participate in the consultation and discussion of issues relating to their daily lives.

"It provides a way for people to clarify their demands, express their most important ideas," said Qi.

As of mid-February, he said, Huai'an had received more than 10,800 requests from the public on the online platform, and organized more than 6,100 offline consultations. More than 276,000 people from across the city participated in the online and offline activities.

Zhang Zhiyong, vice-chairman of the Huai'an People's Political Consultative Conference, said that apart from soliciting opinions on the platform, they also visited villages and communities to collect people's concerns.

Guo Jun contributed to this story.