Public can tell when their opinions are wanted

Dongguan city government in Guangdong province opened an online platform to collect public opinion in November, but none of the 15 potential policies were responded to.

Compared to heated discussions on micro blogs and other social media sites, the government should reflect on why the public gave such an emphatic cold shoulder, said an article in Southern Metropolis Daily (excerpt below).

Dongguan has about 8 million residents and millions of migrant workers. The lack of public response had nothing to do with numbers. Rather, it was because the public feel their feedback is not appreciated.

Even some face-to-face meetings held by the local government to pursue public opinion about policies were nothing but a meaningless show in response to higher authorities demanding transparency.

There are plenty of opinions expressed in social media sites for the government's reference. The people have developed the ability to verify the government's sincerity, or lack of it, when seeking their opinions.