Public evaluation of 2006 on the low end, reform model must change

Yang Gengshen

The recently published "2007 Blue Book on Chinese Society" points out that currently the three most prominent social issues are "hospitals are hard to get into and expensive"; "unemployment problems"; and "the expanding income gap, polarizing the rich and poor." These have become primary social issues for the urban population in 2006 and have become major factors affecting the urban and rural population's satisfaction with life.

As chief editor of the Blue Book, Li Peilin says, "Compared with the initial stage of reform and opening up, currently development and reform are benefiting the public to much less a degree. The standard of living among some poorer groups is dropping. We must pay ample attention to this." What the Blue Book presents is the reality of society since reform. What it presents is a rational basis and driving factors that reform must establish in order to continue. These are the popular consensus.
In this respect, one person who cooperated on the Blue Book, chairman of the board of the Horizon Research Group, Yuan Yue, also says clearly, compared with previous years, people's comprehensive evaluation of 2006 is lower.
When people's general evaluation of reform is dropping to a lower level, when hardships in people's lives have knotted into a social problem we cannot but face; and when we suddenly find ourselves standing at the edge of a cliff or placed in the midst of a fog of thoughts; the question of how can a reform gain more popular support is raised. The question is "like a bore placed in a bag, its sharp point pokes out." This question includes: how can reform benefit the majority of people, how can a greater majority share the fruits of reform? How can a fair mechanism for the distribution of benefits and for competition be established? How can we avoid ordinary people having to bear the cost of reform alone?
Raising questions and solving questions is always more positive than avoiding questions or sabotaging. We must beware of the pessimistic voice that negates reform in the name of reviewing reform. We must understand that as some problems are becoming more visible in different ways, this at least indicates that as reform proceeds, a consensus is gradually being reached, such as a consensus on correcting the imbalance in interests, and on moving towards a sharing of benefits.
More importantly, we must build a reform model of public participation, we must regulate reform, legalize reform, and make breakthroughs in political system reform, and not just reform of the administrative system.
No doubt, if we can come to such a census and solve the dilemma of reform with greater wisdom and abilities, if we can truly establish a cohesive mechanism for reform based on shared interests and win over greater popular support, we can optimistically expect a grand picture of Chinese society.
We would like to view the passing 2006 as a "stage," not just because of the debate and discussion caused by past reforms, but also because we will begin to take a harmonious society as the objective for further reform. Though we cannot use a pile of empty concepts to address the real hardships in people's lives in the Blue Book, when the objective of continued reform is clear, we can expect to push towards the goal steadily with practical and cautious efforts.

by reporter Yang Gengshen