Embrace big-picture thinking, grassroots deputies advised
National People’s Congress deputies from the grassroots should not be shortsighted and must look at the bigger picture because their proposals will have a nationwide impact, Kelsang Drolkar, a deputy from the Tibet autonomous region, said recently in Lhasa.
“As a village Party chief, I know how central government policies can improve villagers’ lives. I can also learn about the problems that can occur during the implementation of different policies,” said Kelsang, 56, Party chief of Lhasa’s Darmar village.
“I will then carry out research to see if these problems are also happening elsewhere. If so, I will draft proposals that can help to contribute to policies, or even become the foundation for new ones.”
Kelsang has worked in the village in Tibet’s regional capital since 1979, and has witnessed Darmar’s transformation. In 2017, the last 26 of the village’s 636 households were lifted out of poverty.
Many people have into new homes.
As soon as villager Gyalo’s family moved into their new home in July, they put up flags with Tibetan Buddhist scriptures on the roof, hoping they would bring good luck.
Kelsang said while visiting Gyalo’s home, “The houses are new, but we have ensured that Tibetan traditions have been passed on.”
Gyalo, 60, said: “We all know Kelsang is an NPC deputy. She can pass on our messages to the central government.”
Like many villages in China, Darmar is going through the urbanization process.
Kelsang said proudly: “I am planning to set up five companies also moved for five groups of villagers this year so they can run businesses of their choice, such as restaurants and handicraft workshops to make more money.”
She said she has noticed that more support policies are available for low-income residents in rural areas than for their urban counterparts.
Such an imbalance will affect poverty alleviation work, so she is determined to raise the issue at the annual session of the 13th National People’s Congress, which opened on Tuesday.
“At the national level, government bodies have always attached great importance to providing feedback on proposals from NPC deputies, and they are all very timely. What’s more, NPC deputies can question the work of regional governments,” Kelsang said.
On Feb 1, she and other NPC deputies visited the Tibet Regional People’s Hospital after being told that people could not understand some of the signs written in Tibetan because they had not been translated properly.
The hospital also rents parking spaces to people shopping in a nearby mall, leaving patients fewer places.
“These may seem like small things, but they are urgent issues to the public, which may lose trust in the government because of things like this,” Kelsang said.
The group forwarded the complaints to the hospital’s head, and all the problems were solved within two weeks.
“We will carry out more visits like this and question more department heads in the future to exercise our power, so that people’s interests can be protected,” Kelsang added.