PX resumption of work: What is "respecting public opinion"?

On August 14 last year, the PX project invested and operated by Dalian Fujia Dahua Co., Ltd. was greeted by the public. In the afternoon of the same day, the Dalian municipal party committee and the municipal government decided that the Fujia PX project was immediately suspended and relocated. Xinhua News Agency later reported the news of the relocation work initiated by the deputy mayor of Dalian. In this way, public opinion was upheld and respected, the problem was solved, and a stable and win-win situation was presented. It was gratifying. However, ** generally believes that since the PX incident in Xiamen, the government departments have mastered the handling of similar incidents, which reflects the change in the concept of governance and are worthy of recognition.

However, based on the latest facts, this optimistic view may seem too naive. According to recent reports by the media, many PX projects that have been halted in the country have returned to work in low-key terms. Fujadian University’s executives even revealed that “As far as I know, our production has never stopped. How do we stop more than 10 billion orders annually? Who will bear such a large loss?"

At this point, the PX project that the recent Ningbo government stated “resolutely not on the list” traced back to the similar Qidong Paper Sewage Project, the Molybdenum-Copper project... until the Xiamen PX project, and this series of events in recent years have taken environmental protection as their appeal. It seems sensible that the government's disposition can be described as if the residents’ wishes are to be successfully expressed. However, with the “never discontinued production” of the Dalian Fujia PX project as a fulcrum, there is clearly a need for reexamination.

First of all, the fact that the Fujia PX project has not been discontinued or relocated has undoubtedly created a situation in which double wins have been reversed to double losses. One Dalian citizen who had been actively involved in the will expressed last year stated that he never received any project information before the resumption of production. It is not difficult to see that GDP-oriented developmentism still stubbornly occupies the brains of local politicians and regards the government’s commitment as a piece of paper, ruining the credibility of the government. I would like to ask if local governments in these places happen in the future if similar events occur. How will it be self-employed?

Looking back at the Dalian Fujia PX project, we can also learn that on August 8 last year, under the influence of the typhoon "Plum Blossom", the breakwater constructed without permission encountered two dangers that collapsed. Only 50 meters of project chemical storage tanks on the breakwater avoided the catastrophic event of leakage. On the evening of the next day, the Dalian Municipal Government urgently convened a special meeting to discuss the relocation of the Fujia PX. Obviously, this was the result of the typhoon's collapse and the Dalian government's awareness of the project's huge security risks. Later, the media investigation also found that the Fujia PX project and the breakwater violated the normal approval procedures including the environmental assessment, and was suspected of not building it first.

Second, the local government's black-box operation and disregard for honesty are bound to change the public's perception of the government's proper handling of similar incidents. Since the PX incident in Xiamen, in the handling of similar incidents, respect for public opinion and rational interaction have become a widely shared consensus among the government and the people. The current status and facts of the Fujia PX project seem to be to remind the public that this may only be the “responsiveness” of the pro-government officials. It is intended to calm down the situation and maintain the social stability and harmony on the surface so that citizens who participate in the expressed will have no resources and no resources. Organization, no time as a bet. As everyone knows, this is an extremely dangerous gamble. It has set a bad precedent nationwide.

In-depth interpretation of the relevant reports, it can be found that the Fujia PX project did not stop production and relocation, as well as the local "reproduction approval" is a decision made after expert argumentation and recommendations. However, from the original rejection of expert opinion to insisting on stopping production and relocation, and subscribing to the opinions of experts after the settlement of group incidents, the chaos and hurriedness of decision-making can be described as vivid, and administrative capabilities can not but doubt. The expert opinion that “the PX project is demonized” clearly disregards the fact that the toxicity of PX is widely questioned internationally.

It must be admitted that the expert's argument that the project information is opaque and causes public panic is a matter of fact. The obscure operations and project information of the related projects in the neighborhoods of residents' living quarters have resulted in the residents’ lack of respect for the subject status in project decision-making, which is an important reason for the occurrence of similar incidents known as “neighbor conflict” at home and abroad. . The point that needs to be added and emphasized in the expert's argument is that the project must also comply with relevant administrative procedures in accordance with the law. Specific to the Dalian Fujia PX project, the violations of the approval procedures, projects, and the concealment of decision-making information are the root causes of the passive situation that has caused its current extremely embarrassing and unpredictable future consequences. Such a serious lesson deserves vigilance and remembering.