A deputy mayor of Siping has criticised Hangzhou's mayor for recruiting petition liaison officers to 'further realise democracy for the better livelihood of the people', saying the scheme is likely to be ineffective and short-lived.
Hangzhou Mayor Cai Qi initiated the scheme this month, with Mr Cai and his deputy hiring at least one petition liaison officer to improve their knowledge of public opinion and social trends.
According to Xinhua, Mr Cai hired his first liaison officer on July 16, choosing a resident who had been submitting letters to the petition office. The news was quickly picked up by mainland media and aroused widespread discussion.
But Li Ou, deputy mayor of Siping in Jilin province , criticised the move in a personal weblog on Friday, once again drawing media attention to the mainland's ineffective petition system.
According to Hangzhou's new system, each liaison officer will be hired for a two-year term to help collect information, especially on issues that cause public dissatisfaction.
Guidelines for the scheme say: 'Generally the liaison officer should report to local petition offices or government departments, and could directly report to the mayor and deputy mayor when submitted reports receive no response.'