NGO’s and Information in China
Social Information Provided by NGO’s Should Be Paid Attention To
应重视NGO提供的社会信息
By Guo Weiqing (郭巍青)
Original Publication:
The Southern Metropolis Daily
南方都市报
Link to Original Article in Chinese
Translated by Anton Lee Wishik II for Mei-Zhong Guanxi
According to the China Business Journal (中国经营报), this past April, the Shenzhen Workers Professional Safety and Health Center (the Workers Center) did an investigation on the situation surrounding the Labor Contract Law that was implemented in the Shenzhen region. The results of the investigation clearly demonstrated that many companies were using all kinds of methods to evade the restrictions placed on them by the Labor Contract Law. These methods included: making workers sign English contracts, having them sign two contracts with different content, not allowing the workers to posses their own contracts, as well as many kinds of modified clauses that are difficult to notice and would only benefit the factory side if there was a dispute, etc. This ‘Investigative Report’ demonstrated that there is cause for concern regarding the circumstances of the implementation of the Labor Contract Law. The report called on all sides to pay close attention to this.
As for this matter, first, I feel that this kind of investigation and its results are of a great and positive significance. This significance lies in the ability of grassroots NGO’s to provide information. Most people may feel that the so-called ‘news’ provided by grassroots personages is nothing more than personal grumblings and local phenomena. The government’s strategic decisions are made by paying close attention to general phenomena, and fragmentary bits and pieces are not seen by the eyes of the law. However, this kind of outlook could be very problematic. Who makes the judgments and decisions about what information is important and what information is unimportant? The ancients asked, ‘don’t men of all ranks have the ability to be great?’ Then in an informational society, what should be asked is, ‘the information that the leadership sees is just information, isn’t the information that the commoners see just information?’ In addition, after a careful reading of this ‘Investigative Report,’ I was astonished by the scientific nature of their investigative work. They used scientific investigative methods, and from a ground level point of view, they systematically provided valuable information. Another point which must be emphasized is that their ground level status naturally broke through many investigative barriers. Thus, their data possessed an element of authenticity and credibility.
The Workers Center’s investigative report and other related reports are not even seen as news. However, many things that have happened recently once again prove that if ‘bottom-up’ news sources are lacking, then the situation at hand will perhaps be much worse than it would otherwise be. There are two examples of this. One example was in Guangzhou where the mayor commanded thousands of officials to spread out like vendors and receive the people. The number of those who came seeking an audience amazed the mayor. Some people lined up a day ahead of time to see the mayor or some of the other officials in charge. Reporters praised the mayor for going without a meal while meeting people from 10am to 3pm. Immediately, internet users followed with posts asking, weren’t those who came seeking an audience just as hungry? In fact, everyone understood that the real question was, if there were that many public sentiments that needed to be made known, where were the information channels that could dredge the popular will of the people?
The other example was the Weng’an incident. It was just as the Guizhou provincial party secretary, Shi Zongyuan (石宗源), pointed out: a simple homicide case gave rise to a terrible disaster. This was due to ‘too many long-pending cases, too many deep grievances, and bad habits dying hard.’ This is simply a new edition of ‘the Ballad of Mulan,’ and could be read as ‘building up and building up then building up again.’(1) However, what was truly hard to bear was not the low-level government being set ablaze, but the high-level government being deceived. If there hadn’t been a ‘terrible disaster,’ who would have known that there were that many pending cases and grievances there? The provincial party secretary personally called on the owner of a small shop next to the public security bureau, yet the owner merely hemmed and hawed because he didn’t dare to speak the truth. So then, what could other officials do to finally hear the truth? In the final analysis, this is an informational paradox and a systemic paradox because ‘nothing goes wrong’ is a kind of rigid bottom line for the system. This implies a kind of urge within the system. Being extensively familiar with the information at hand and taking the initiative can solve problems and ensure ‘nothing goes wrong.’ However, suppressing information can also ensure that ‘nothing goes wrong.’ Of course, the latter is cheaper and simplifies matters. The risk is that after the ‘building up and building up and building up again,’ who still ‘cannot hear the sounds of the shuttle, but just the sighs of the girl?(2)’ The results have the potential to cause even greater problems.
On one side are high-level officials who personally listen to the commoners speak and then make mistaken decisions because they fear they ‘don’t know the truth.’ On the other side are workers who do their own investigations on the labor situation and then present the results to the related government departments, media, and research organizations. Which method is better? If discussing changing cadres’ methods for observing and studying public sentiment, then of course the former method should be recommended. If discussing professor Zhou Qiren’s (周其仁) statements regarding reducing the cost of information, then I would recommend the latter. It’s exactly from the angle of unimpeded information channels and the reduction of information costs that NGO’s function as information providers should be examined anew.
Returning to the specific issues regarding the Labor Contract Law, although this law begins to take effect this year, the formulation of ‘detailed rules for implementation’ by each region is still pending so that a clearer guide can be provided. The Shenzhen Workers Center investigative report was done to provide information for local lawmakers and policymakers. This kind of information’s value lies in three different aspects. First, the operational costs are low and rely on social funding and a volunteer spirit, not public financing. The second aspect is that their viewpoint is not the same. There is much controversy regarding the Labor Contract Law and all sides have voiced their opinions. But what of the common workers who are personally in the middle of this turbulence? Do we know their feelings and views? As they sign contracts according to new laws, what kind of difficulties and pitfalls do they in fact encounter? The Workers Center’s investigation was done from this perspective. The third aspect is multi-functionality. Every finished investigative questionnaire served a dual purpose as it educated a worker about the law. Also, the collection and subsequent release of data exerted a supervisory pressure on the implementation of the law.
Thus, the conclusions reached here are that a platform should be established for cooperation between the government and NGO’s, and there should be encouragement for more private organizations in different fields to provide information, criticism, and alerts to follow certain issues closely. This should be seen as systemic innovation, systemic construction, the promotion of orderly public participation, and the promotion of scientific and democratic policy decisions.
(The author is a professor at the Zhongshan University Public Affairs Institute)
Translator’s Endnotes:
1. For more information on the Ballad of Mulan including the actual song that is being referenced here, please see (http://www.chinapage.com/mulan.html).
2. See endnote 1
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