THE leader of the liberal faction, Mr Tian Jiyun, has boosted the ''supervisory functions'' of the National People's Congress over the Chinese Communist Party and the Government.
Mr Tian, who was elected First Vice-Chairman of the NPC last week, vowed he would expose policies and actions of the party and Government that violated the constitution and the laws.
His apparent bid to expand the powers of the NPC came on the heels of a speech by NPC Chairman Mr Qiao Shi on the need for China's parliament to check and balance the powers of the executive branch.
Chinese newspapers yesterday quoted Mr Tian as telling leading journalists in the capital: ''We must further develop democracy and increase the people's supervision [over the party and Government]. This is very important for improving the work of both the NPC and the Government.'' The NPC Vice-Chairman, who is also a member of the Politburo, urged the nation's media to ''increase propaganda on the importance of following the constitution and the law''.
''Some of the classic instances [of government actions] against the constitution and the laws, provided they have been verified, can be publicised through the media,'' he added.
The former vice-premier, who was once a right-hand-man of ousted party chief Mr Zhao Ziyang, called on the nation's journalists to increase their reporting on the legislative process and on the promotion of ''democracy and legality''.
''We should build up the system of stationing reporters [in the NPC] and strengthen the relationship between the congress and various media,'' Mr Tian said. ''The NPC should provide more clues and other conditions for journalists.'' Political observers in Beijing said it was the first time a senior NPC leader had called upon the media to help the legislature carry out its ''supervisory'' functions.
