"Netizens are members of the general public. If members of the public go online, so does public opinion. Our officials need to go wherever the public goes" - eviltoast
  • qwename@lemmygrad.mlM
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    10 months ago

    I recognized the title immediately because I have the following pinned on my Weibo profile in Chinese. From “The Governance of China II”: Let a Healthy Internet Guide and Reflect Public Opinion http://en.npc.gov.cn.cdurl.cn/2021-12/27/c_693855.htm

    A society that lacks common ideals, goals, and values and that finds itself in disorder all the time will never achieve success.

    Netizens are members of the general public. If members of the public go online, so does public opinion. Our officials need to go wherever the public goes, otherwise how else are they expected to maintain ties with them? Party and government organs and their leaders must learn to stay in touch with the people through the internet. They should go online regularly, observing, chatting, and posting their comments. They need to know what the people think and want, gather good ideas and suggestions, and actively respond to their concerns, answer their queries and remove their doubts.

    The majority of netizens are ordinary people who come from different walks of life and have different life experiences. Their views and opinions are sure to vary greatly, and we cannot expect them to always be right about everything and correct in what they say. More tolerance and patience are therefore required. We need to promptly take constructive suggestions, afford assistance to those who need help, tell the truth to those in the dark, offer clarification to those who are confused about certain issues, help pacify those who bear a grudge against something, and guide those with erroneous views and correct their misunderstandings. This way we will ensure that the internet becomes a new platform through which we communicate and interact with the public, a new means through which we understand the people, stay in touch with them, and address their worries and difficulties, and a new channel through which we promote people’s democracy and accept public scrutiny.

    A sound atmosphere for the expression of opinion online does not imply that there should be only one voice and one tune. Rather, it means that people are not permitted to conflate right and wrong, circulate rumors, cause trouble, violate the law, or commit crime; it means that people cannot overstep the boundaries of the Constitution and other laws.