Explore the real value of Internet spokespeople
- Source: Global Times
- [06:37 September 16 2009]
- Comments
Democracy is now a buzzword in China, both in the central government and at the local level. With a new, widely anticipated plan to enhance internal democracy under discussion at the fourth plenum of the 17th Central Committee of CPC, which opened in Beijing Tuesday, millions of Chinese netizens are pushing for a move toward cyberspace democracy: government spokespeople to address the online community.
China's southern city of Guiyang, Guizhou Province recently announced it would appoint an Internet spokesperson, said to be the first time a government in China has created such a position. In a recent poll conducted by the Social Survey Center of the China Youth Daily newspaper, 80.3 percent of respondents strongly supported the measure.
It is undoubtedly a welcome move. The Internet and politics are closely tied in nations across the globe, but the Internet has played an unprecedentedly vital role in China's political and social arenas.
China has not only the largest population of Internet users, totaling 300 million, but also the most enthusiastic netizens in the world.
With rapid and complicated social changes taking place, "investigative netizens" are breaking new ground and catching the attention of the government and the world.
An effective outlet for social tension, the information superhighway is also likely to become a dangerous ground for spreading rumors and evoking rage.
Such rumors helped fuel a protest and riot in Weng'an, Guizhou Province last July, after a high school girl drowned and some netizens suspected foul play. A similar incident occurred in Shishou, Hubei Province this June after a young chef took his own life. These and other incidents show how crucial it is for the government to respond quickly to the appeals of netizens, and what an important role an Internet spokesperson might play in China.
But that is only the face value of having an Internet spokesperson system. While cyberspace is another vehicle for mass communication and political participation, it is democracy that really matters here.
Numerous examples can be cited of government agency telephone hotlines that have become "coldlines," or official websites left idle with no updates.
With the Internet spokesperson system in the works, we look forward to real problems being solved, real responsibilities being taken, and government credibility being built.
The Internet spokesperson system is less about cyberspace itself, and more about a democracy-building process, one that respects the public's right to know and holds government accountable to the people.
Let's hold our applause until these real values are honored.
