Leaders’ Message Board on People's Daily Online: a window to observe China’s whole-process people's democracy in action

Since its first launch in 2006, the Leaders’ Message Board, a section on the People's Daily Online website, has emerged as a vital platform for the Chinese people to voice their opinions, offering up an effective guarantee for whole-process democracy in China.

The total number of posts that netizens have left on the section now exceeds 3.4 million in all, while the number of replies from cadres in various regions and departments has reached 2.6 million, according to the latest statistics.

A screenshot of the Leaders' Message Board

A platform where people can have their voices heard

"As a grass-roots cadre, I think this is a great platform to solicit political opinions from the people," said Li Dianbo, director of the rural revitalization office of Engebei town in north China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, whose proposal concerning old-age care, a proposal that had been posted on the Leaders’ Message Board, was incorporated into the country's 14th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development.

"This form of democratic practice is more real, more approachable, and closer to the general public. I hope that, in the future, more people can express their opinions through this platform," Li added.

In August 2020, when China’s government solicited public opinions and suggestions on the 14th Five-Year Plan on the Internet, which was the first time in the country these efforts were conducted virtually online, Li, under the screen name "Yunfan", made a proposal relating to a model of old-age care based on peer support. This proposal item was eventually adopted by the government and included in its official document.

A few days ago, a commentary article entitled "Building a Solid Democratic Foundation for the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation" was published on the front page of the People's Daily, citing Li's story as a classic example of giving full play to democracy in China.

When making major policy decisions, Chinese government officials will aim to solicit the opinions of people from all walks of life and reach a consensus through discussions. In recent years, the Leaders’ Message Board has served as a favored platform for officials to communicate with the people and pool the wisdom of the people, so as to enable agreed decisions to become more scientific and more democratic as well as being more reflective of voices at the grass-roots level.

"In a sense, soliciting people's opinions is also a form of democracy, "said Zhi Zhenfeng, a researcher with the law institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, adding that "when Chinese people take part in the process of decision making in various ways, our democracy will be improved to a higher degree."

A platform where people can play a role in social management

Apart from issuing their opinions on governmental affairs, Chinese people can also play a vital role in social management via the Leaders’ Message Board.

"After I left a message about the inappropriate construction of a garbage station in my residential compound, the relevant departments contacted me by phone. Then leaders of the relevant departments, together with the property management staff, held a meeting with me and several other neighbors to discuss the upgrading of that station into a garbage sorting station at some other location," recounted an online user from Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong province, who submitted his feedback on the message board.

"I am really grateful for the quick response from the relevant departments," said the user, who left his first post on the Leaders’ Message Board in July of this year. He was later contacted by the relevant government departments and viable solutions to the problem were immediately offered.

In fact, it is not rare to notice this kind of social management in which people play a vital role on the Leaders' Message Board. Chen Chengxin, assistant dean of the School of Government at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, reckoned that the message board promotes a greater understanding of public opinions, so that the problems faced by the people can be resolved more efficiently.

"Democracy in China takes people as the center, and focuses on the common interests of the people," said Lu Pinyue, a professor with the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, who further explained that democracy at the grass-roots level is an important form of China's multi-level democracy.

Through this platform, people at the grassroots level are allowed to participate in the management of those social services that are closely related to their lives, which constitutes a form of democracy, noted Lu.

A platform where people can supervise the public sector

The Leaders’ Message Board also helps to facilitate the supervision of the public sector. One salient example can be found in the case of a physically handicapped netizen from Wenshan prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan province, who submitted a complaint on the message board about obstacles he faced when applying to renew the status of his disability certificate.

"I am suffering from a motor neuron disease. It is a rare disease that leads to a loss of bodily functions including mobility over time. When I needed to renew the status of my certificate, I had to get my disability level reevaluated," the man explained, adding that since the hospital at the county seat did not have the technical conditions to provide such an evaluation, he was placed in a dilemma.

After the complaint became known by the relevant governmental department via this platform, the man was able to smoothly re-apply for a new certificate as well as all the allowances associated with his new status, with the relevant experts dispatched to provide door-to-door assessment services for him to complete the evaluation process as required.

The message board serves as a favorable platform where the pain points of those in need that cannot be readily addressed by the current policies can be remedied, which demonstrates a dynamic practice of democratic supervision in China.

"Since people from across the country can read the information on the responses to complaints and the handling of public opinion by officials from any region via the message board, the governance capacity of these cadres is subject to supervision at all levels and from all walks of life," said Chen.

According to Chen, various complaints lodged on the message board are themselves constitutive of the most direct means of supervision over Party committees, governments and officials at various levels.

"The Leaders’ Message Board pools together a lot of information and can be said to be a kind of treasure trove. Through big data's analysis, we can learn about the political problems in various regions as well as our strengths and weaknesses in governing the country, which is of great value," said Zhi.