Officials slam local deputies' absences

A senior official from Hebei Province slammed the wide absence of local deputies during a panel discussion of the ongoing two sessions Sunday.

"All deputies should know that they must ask the convener if they want to absent themselves from a panel. Nobody is allowed to take a leave in theory," Zhao Yong, deputy Party chief of Hebei Province, said at the group discussion. [Special coverage]

About one-third of deputies of the second group in the Hebei delegation did not show up for the meeting. Several others walked out midway, the Beijing Times reported Monday.

"Deputies must not see their attendance as 'a tour.' They ran themselves ragged working to become legislators. And now that they've made it, they can't be irresponsible," he said.

Xia Baolong, Zhejiang Province's Party chief, stressed the same thing Monday, saying the deputies should fulfill their duties on behalf of the public, China Central Television reported.

Li Danyang, a professor on public administration with the Beijing-based Beihang University, told the Global Times that these calls for responsibility should be supported as a warning to irresponsible legislators.

"Many deputies are busy celebrities or senior executives who try to escape some of the sessions. Their attendance and performance should be made public," said Li.

China's law on legislators stipulates that deputies will be disqualified if they are absent from legislative meetings two or more times without authorization.