Political systems A good system to pass laws
China has a good system to pass their national laws.

The main body to pass laws is the National People's Congress (NPC). The laws are scrutinized and debated in the standing committee and then presented to the NPC for voting.

Critics said that the NPC is a rubber stamping body. This is an unfair way to describe it.

As the NPC is a large body with 2,980 members, it is impractical for the issues to be debated within the full body. The debates are done within the standing committee. But the members elected into the standing committee are likely to be reflecting the views of the full body. 

This approach ensures that the issues are fully understood and considered before they are presented to the full body for adoption (unfairly described as "rubber stamping").

Apart from the NPC, China has another large body called the China People Political Consultive Congress (CPPCC) comprising of over 2,000 members. About one third are deputies from the China Communist Party. The other members are drawn from various social organizations, ethnic minorities and business community.

The CPPCC does not have legal powers to pass laws, but the members are able to express their views which are considered by the NPC and its standing committee in their deliberations.

This is an effective consultative mechanism. The process leads to a better understanding of the issues and for laws to be passed to address the challenges. 

The CPPCC meets in March and is soon following  by the NPC. This is described in China as "The Two Sessions".

I find this political process to be superior to the system adopted in America, United Kingdom and most western democracies. In the large democracies, the political process tends to break down along party lines. The government policies and laws adopted by the current governemnt reflect its political bias and are likely to be overturned by a new government. 

The process adopted in China is more stable and likely to work better for large countries. It produces laws that reflect the interest of the people, rather than the political parties.

Please vote - do you agree with this perspective?

Tan Kin Lian
 

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