Source:
https://scmp.com/article/629961/shenzhen-calls-right-pilot-national-reforms

Shenzhen calls for right to pilot national reforms

More than 20 CPPCC representatives have submitted a joint proposal urging Beijing to grant special powers to Shenzhen to pilot government and social administration reforms before they are rolled out nationwide.

Zhong Xiaoyu , the proposal's originator and deputy chairman of the Shenzhen Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said the city's role as a pioneer in economic reform and other sectors had been weakened with its own regression and would soon be equalled by other mainland cities.

'Shenzhen has benefited by drawing Hong Kong's advanced experience on political and social administrative systems in the past decades. But its government makeup and social administration have gradually regressed to accord with national conditions,' he said.

Mr Zhong said a way to keep the special zone at the forefront of innovation was to slash its outmoded bureaucracy, a hangover from the days of the planned economy.

'The current governmental framework is not suitable for further economic growth. Reforms are being urged to streamline decision-making procedures, slash overlapping departments' functions and simplify operational procedures,' he said.

The proposal called on Beijing to loosen its strict quotas for civil servants. It said the central government allocated staff quotas according to each city's permanent population, which was impractical in Shenzhen where 80 per cent of its inhabitants were migrants. He said there were severe staff shortages in sectors dealing with labour disputes, legal aid and housing. 'We have only 43 inspectors for labour disputes to serve 9 million migrant workers.'

Mr Zhong said reforms on government structures and social administration were more complicated and risky than the economic reforms of the past. He suggested that Beijing authorised Shenzhen to pilot such reforms and eventually serve as an example for the country.

The proposal also urged Beijing to extend the special zone legislation system to suburban Shenzhen, where Guangdong legislation applied. The six-page proposal was jointly signed by more than 20 representatives from Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Beijing and Chongqing .

Mr Zhong said Beijing had responded to the proposal 'positively'.