Information disclosure body established

By Zhang Yiwei Source:Global Times Published: 2013-8-26 1:03:01

A federation aimed to promote government information disclosure was established at the China University of Political Science and Law over the weekend, in an effort to push forward related regulations and provide legal services.

The federation with the Research Center for Government by Law consists of experts, lawyers, media professionals and volunteers.

"The federation will publicize legal knowledge and provide consultation for those who need to apply for disclosure by integrating various resources," Wang Jingbo, deputy director with the research center, told the Global Times. Wang noted that experts will focus on theoretical study to improve the disclosure system and the lawyers are to raise public awareness and offer legal assistance.

Wang said the federation comes at a time when public awareness of their rights regarding access to the information is insufficient and authorities are inactive in making it public.

A survey by the Guangzhou-based Canton Public Opinion Research Center on August 19, showed that over 70 percent of 3,000 respondents on the Chinese mainland were dissatisfied with the performance of authorities in disclosing information. More than 80 percent believed that officials who fail to publicize information should be held accountable.

Only half of the government agencies surveyed by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in June last year were willing to disclose information upon public request, after looking into some 200 cases related to the acquisition of property before demolition.

Wang Youyin, a lawyer specializing in administrative litigation with the Beijing Shengyun Law Firm, told the Global Times that although authorities are performing better than ever in disclosing information, some still hold the mentality that those who apply for information disclosure are troublemakers.

"Many lawyers don't even know much about the regulations on government information disclosure, which took effect in May 2008, not to mention the public," Wang Youyin said.

However, the lawyer said that as there are more applications for disclosure in recent years, authorities have made progress in openness and more people have won litigation cases against officials on disclosing information.

"A big problem is that different regions respond differently to people's requests," Wang Jingbo said. "Provincial regions that are more developed tend to have better performance in this field, while some inland ones just don't implement the regulation at all."

In March, an environmentalist won a lawsuit against the Guangzhou Environmental Protection Bureau for its delay in responding to her application for disclosing environmental information filed nine months earlier.

The environmentalist also said she had made several attempts in applying for information disclosure in other regions, most of which were unsatisfactory.



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