|
Front Page of the Day
Citizen demands government transparency: interviewPosted by Eric Mu, August 4, 2009 5:15 PM
Wang Qing, 27, is a computer technician in Nanyang, Henan Province. Wang became a media figure because he has submitted seven requests to 181 different government departments in Nanyang, demanding that they to publicize information as required by the law. Wang's initial requests were mostly dismissed with indifference from these government departments, which include the municipal government and local offices in charge of fresh produce. But Wang stepped up his effort by filing more requests, this time for administrative reconsideration. He even sued some of the government departments for failing to reply to him. Eventually, Wang received replies from the government, though some departments only stated in their replies that they refuse to release the information that Wang requested, citing there being no "legal basis" to do so. Today's Modern Express reprinted an interview with Wang originally published on Henan Business Daily: HBD: You don't look like a guy who wants trouble, why would you do this? HBD: How many lawsuits have you filed so far? HBD: How did you start seeing the government as a new target? On my way from home to my workplace, there was a construction site for a new development. It looked weird to me, so I asked the people from the sales department whether they have a land certificate and they told me they do but refused to let me see it. So I went to the Bureau of Land and Resources, but people there refused to show me the documents either, so I took them to court. The court supported my claim. The eventual reply from the government confirmed my suspicion, they did not have the land certificate. HBD: And you filed requests for making information public to 181 government departments, from the municipal government of Nanyang to the fresh produce office? I found all the departments in Nanyang municipal government and the two district-level governments, which totals at 181. My thinking was simple, I want to be comprehensive. HBD: So how did you find this information about the government departments? HBD: What kind of information were you seeking to be publicized? HBD: How was the response to these letters? HBD: And your response? HBD: Any result? HBD: Did any of them give you a timely reply? HBD: What did you do then? HBD: How did you deal with those who didn't reply? HBD: You must have got replies from them after that? HBD: What is your personal price for doing this? Links and Sources
|
Partner Links
Jobs in China
Recent Comments
AllSeeingE on
Send a postcard to the future
Peter Andr on
Cats and dogs in the animal cruelty law
hanmeng on
Al Jazeera on potential dog meat ban
singingblu on
2012: a disaster movie not suitable for children
NINGT on
Goons and thugs
Len Chiu on
The body in the lake
Christie on
Pole dancing: for fitness, not about sex
China Media Timeline
Major media events over the last three decades
Danwei Model Workers
![]() Recommended blogs and new media
Books on China
Diamond Hill by Feng Chi-shun: Feng's memoir Diamond Hill describes an era of gambling and gangsters, Suzie Wong and squatter villages, fires and food stalls, and the Kowloon Walled City and its white powder. "A time when people were poor, but life was rich," he says. The world that he grew up in no longer exists, but his book - the first ever on the Diamond Hill refugee settlement, in either Chinese or English - offers a candid picture of what life was like for most Hong Kong residents in the 1950s.
William A. Callahan's China: The Pessoptimist Nation: China: The Pessoptimist Nation shows how the heart of Chinese foreign policy is not a security dilemma, but an identity dilemma. Through a careful analysis of how Chinese people understand their new place in the world, the book charts how Chinese identity emerges through the interplay of positive and negative feelings in a dynamic that intertwines China's domestic and international politics.
The WTO ruling: a half victory at best: In August 2009, a World Trade Organization panel ruled against China's system of monopoly control over entertainment products. Was this the victory supporters hailed as the dawn of a new day for American and global entertainment companies in the China market?
Front Page of the Day
A different newspaper every weekday
From the Vault
Classic Danwei posts
+ Street hawker cries of Beijing (2006.12): Yang Changhe demonstrates hawker's cries in a video shot by Muzimei. + New Weekly: Do Chinese kids know anything about traditonal Chinese culture? (2004.06): Q: Do you know what China's four great inventions are? Paper, printing, the compass and gunpowder 49.3% know all four, 37.3% get one or more wrong, 13.3% don't know at all (2004.06.12) + Some questions about SARFT's full-stop for Red Question Mark (2007.09): SARFT axes Red Question Mark (红问号). He Dong (何东) responds.
Danwei Archives
Danwei Feeds
Via Feedsky
or Feedburner |





Comments on Citizen demands government transparency: interview
"HBD: You doesn't look like a guy who wants trouble, why would you do this?"
Really? This is your grammar level? You doesn't think this decreases your credibility, does you?
Typo corrected, thanks.
Any comments on recent major party leaders vanishing from 《新闻联播》? Can not find any recent news of people like Hu, Wen, Xi etc. They must be holding some kind of secretive meeting somewhere in China. Could be something like 1959 庐山会议, considering recent foreign and domestic turbulances. There may be major organizational changes in the party. We'll see.
In fact, there is little comments/reports on 《新闻联播》改版。It's senior editor even publicly denied the use of "改版" to describe the recent changes in its contents. All these may just be an in-time excuse for leaders' "disappearance".
To build a more open society, China actually needs news channels like the C-Span in the US. Not by going the reverse direction. So overall, it's quite strange...
This guy is really cool. I totally respect his vendetta. Someone like Transparency International should hire him.