Snoozing legislators

If the above photo were taken in the Houses of Parliament in London or on Capitol Hill in Washington, local newspapers would likely print some smart-aleck caption about how sleepy lawmakers should snap to and get to work.

But the photo was taken here in Beijing last week at the National People’s Congress. And it didn’t get published much for obvious reasons.

For one, it feeds into the stereotype that the NPC is a rubber-stamp legislature with little real work. Delegates simply listen to government cadres drone on.

That stereotype is partly false. Many of the delegates come with strong interests in particular topics and put forward suggestions to the government. I recall last year speaking to one delegate fighting hard for the rights of the tens of millions of Chinese suffering from Hepatitis B, a national plague.

But the stereotype holds some truth as well. There are endless speeches during the 12-day session of the congress, a lot of it drivel. And most Chinese know that. So when a photo like this comes along, the censors get to work.

My office assistant found three postings on websites making reference to “sleepy legislators” and censors had blocked all of them. When she used special software to get through the Great Firewall, this is what one internet user had posted: “Why did they fall asleep? Because people on stage just talk and talk empty stuff. . . . The delegates are only there to praise and praise what the speakers say.”

In China, it’s better to sleep than utter that kind of talk.

Update: The South China Morning Post from Tuesday has an interesting blurb on this subject. The headline refers to "fake representatives," and the item says: NPC deputies need more training to improve their skills, NPC deputy Fan Jiheng from Shanxi province said. "A lot of the representatives don't have any legal knowledge, and thus they are not capable of carrying out their duties," he said. Mr Fan described some of his colleagues as "fake representatives". He said the NPC should be the main body of law drafting, rather than government departments. "When the bills are passed down to the NPC, it's difficult to make any major changes when we review them," Mr Fan told the delegates.

Posted by Tim Johnson at Mar 12, 2007 7:10:12 AM | Permalink