Source:
www.one.com; story also on
www.ft.com
The Chinese government recently launched a new website inviting citizens to send messages directly to President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao.
Reaction to the site - titled "Direct Line to Zhongnanhai", after the government complex in Beijing - was immense as published reports put the number of responses at 49,888 as of September 13. Twenty thousand were intended for Hu and 12,000 were directed at Wen. So far, no replies have been posted.
Citizens' concerns ranged from the leaders' health, work habits and quality of their shoes to more serious complaints about housing prices, censorship and slow pace of the justice system.
"The message board has created a platform to develop the public's civic awareness by encouraging discussions of state affairs", said Lin Zhe, a professor of anti-corruption research, in a report published by the Indian Express.
The online opening of the Chinese government comes at the same time as a battle it is waging against Google. The internet giant responded to China's ban of its site by re-routing Chinese users to Hong Kong's uncensored Google website.