AFP: Overwhelming Numbers of Beijingers Dissatisfied with Government: Poll

Friday, 21-Nov-2003

BEIJING, Nov 21 (AFP) - A landmark official survey Friday showed that an overwhelming number of citizens were dissatisfied with the Beijing government, especially in areas prone to corruption like planning, transportation and public security.

The online survey, the first of its kind in the history of the city, began on November 11 and is slated to continue to December 5, with results so far showing widespread discontent with the communist-run government.

Participants are voting on each of the government's 60 departments.

Some 88 percent of 1,490 respondents weighing in as of Friday said the work of the city's urban planning commission was unsatisfactory, while only five percent voiced satisfaction with it.

The situation was the same for the city's traffic management bureau, where 88 percent of some 1,300 respondents were dissatisfied, while only one percent were happy.

Some 86 percent who voted on the performance of Beijing's land and housing administration bureau were dissatisfied and only two percent satisfied. A similar number were unhappy with the construction department, which also had a two percent satisfactory rating.

As of Friday, 66 percent expressed dissatisfaction with the police, while only two percent applauded the work of the judicial department.

Respondents were asked to rate the work of the government under five categories -- satisfactory, relatively satisfactory, ordinary, unsatisfactory and not clear.

Central government officials and Chinese academics have long admitted that there is widespread dissatisfaction with government work at all levels, but it is rare to see public surveys on such issues, especially when there is such a negative response.

According to the Beijing News, the city of Shanghai is preparing a similar online survey.

While the rate of dissatisfaction was alarming, the rates of approval were equally shocking with the 21 percent satisfaction rating of the Beijing parks and forestry commission the highest of the 60 bureaus and departments involved.

Following the parks and forest commission, the Beijing greenery commission had a 13 percent satisfactory rate and the city's agricultural department scored a 11 percent satisfactory rate.

http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/di/Qchina-beijing-government.RhAw_DNL.html