A Chinese Magazine for State Affairs Ministry’s Reform Propaganda Insists on Direct Election of Municipal Heads

A major Chinese magazine published by the Ministry of Domestic Affairs is attracting attention by urging for the direct election of municipal heads like head of Hyang or Jin.

Bimonthly magazine `China Reformation` published by the office of structure reformation in the Ministry of State Affairs carried an article in its latest edition that insists on direct election of 45,000 municipal heads of Hyang and Jin, as direct election is the way to decrease widespread corruptions and to recover the confidence of people.

The article emphasized that the head of Chon, the smallest unit, is generally elected directly and the direct election of the head of Hyang and Jin is also an inevitable trend. Chinese Hyang, Jin and Chon are administrative units equivalent to the Korean Eup, Myon, and Dong or Li.

This magazine introduced in detail the story of the direct election o head of Hyang in Suining of Sichuan, and explained that the Hyang ignored the order of superior office prohibiting direct election, but it pushed the direct election ahead and became most exemplary Hyang consequently.

`China Reformation`, whose honorary editor is a professor of Beijing University Wu Jinglian, who is economic advisory of Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, is a magazine published by the government, and is a main window that publicizes the authority`s reform process.

That the article which publicly insists on the democratization of provinces was published just before the 16th National People`s Congress, in which reshuffling of the leaderships is expected, may be a message to `hasten political reformation by handing over the power to upcoming future leaders like Hu Jintao`, the Vice President, commented some observers.

ljhzip@donga.com