Governance Order: Government Transformation and Innovation of the Relation between Government and Society

In the era of rapid economic development and social transformation, the benefit game between the towns and villages, officials and the masses, cadres and the masses, village and enterprises become intensified, thus causing a growing number of people to petition. Although most petitioners aim to safeguard their rights and interests, irrational petition and abuse of petition power are rather common. Especially, emergence of "professional petitioner" and the industrial chain of petition are the alienation of petition for extortion, forcing local governments to submit and resulting in disorder of grassroots society. Citizens always "believe more in petition than in laws", which is a severe phenomenon. The Fourth Plenary Session of the Party's Eighteen Central Committee made the strategic plan of "the rule of law". To achieve law-based maintenance of social order, solve the social problems, coordinate social interests, and prevent and resolve social contradictions have become imminent for all levels of governments. The key to solving this problem is to promote government transformation and the innovation of the relation between government and society. The government should change the concept of governance, delegate power to the community, encourage the masses to actively participate in local public affairs, foster public awareness of the masses, and improve the public's ability of autonomous management. Socialization of petition should be carried out to give full play to social forces and form the joint social strength. Besides, with strict conformity to laws, problems that cannot be resolved in the socialized ways should be dealt within legal approaches. Efforts.should be made to establish a prosperous, active, and harmonious society with public participation and sharing based on the new governance order by adhering to the rule of law.