Shen Jilan, an 83-year-old deputy who has served on the National People's Congress (NPC) for 12 successive sessions, has recently been defamed by some netizens.

Labeled by the netizens as the "Yes Deputy" who has never voted against a proposal, it has also been rumored that her family are the offspring of certain officials and her personal assets are worth 50 million yuan ($8.03 million).

However, media investigations have clarified that Shen has been living in her village in Xigou, Shaanxi Province, for years and is highly respected by locals. It has also been confirmed that she has nothing to do with the two companies which operate under the banner of her name.

Those who have defamed, slandered or even attacked Shen don't really know who she is, and they don't really care about whether the rumors are true or not. Even if they do, they just deny the truth. They cobbled together the rumors from some fragmentary accounts of her, and depicted Shen as a voting-yes machine.

Shen Jilan came to be involved in politics by accident, and she was promoted to be a local cadre in the special period before China's reform and opening-up. However, born to a peasants' family and less educated, she has been living in the countryside almost for a lifetime.

Chen Yonggui, an illiterate farmer who became a vice premier of China in the 1970s because of his role as leader of a "model commune," was seen as a peasant until his death.

It is understandable that Chen and Shen behave in a clumsy and unnatural way in the context of complicated politics if judged by the criteria of the "elite."

Some people argue that Shen Jilan is not qualified to be a deputy. But they might have disregarded a significant premise that deputies are elected by the people. If people trust her and she is able to perform her responsibilities as a deputy, then she is qualified enough to be elected.

The opinions or proposals delivered by the deputies should be given full respect. Those opinions or proposals, represented by different deputies for different groups of people, are so diverse that they need to be examined and distinguished on the basis of respect.

Attacking those who have different opinions is not the embodiment of true democracy. If political activities are flooded with nothing but either curses or praises, the people will never be free, both physically and mentally.

If some deputies were elected against the people's will, we should enquire into why they were allowed to come into office. According to the law, the deputies to the people's congresses at grass-roots levels should be elected directly from the electorate. This means all the NPC deputies must be elected from the grass-roots communities from the very beginning.

Since every vote is in the hands of the people, why would the unsatisfactory deputies be elected? Some forces are probably disturbing the voting process. These forces can be the impact of power, the lure of money or apathy among the public.

No matter which force is working, if the election goes wrong, it is because some people misused their rights or voted unreasonably without following their own will. 

The Chinese people do not only have the right to elect their deputies and speak their mind, but also are authorized to replace or dismiss the unqualified officials.

If the local people believe that Shen is not able to perform her responsibilities any more, they have the right to replace or dismiss her according to the law.

It is undeniable that the electoral system of the people's congress is not impeccable, and the system requires a gradual process of reforms. But dragging out an innocent target for personal attacks offers no progress in political democracy.

The author is the deputy director of the Public Relations and Public Opinion Institute at Communication University of China. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn