Public participation is essential to making poverty alleviation programs responsive to the needs of the poor, but it requires a political process that adequately represents their interests. Yet as long as the poor remain poor, they are disadvantaged in securing equitable representation. This article highlights the problems stemming from this paradox of participation. It shows how implementing poverty alleviation programs through elected governing councils has simultaneously made policy more responsive to the poor while permitting the organizational interests of the ruling communist party to distort implementation. The article highlights the importance of political competition among parties and nongovernment organizations for maximizing responsiveness to the poor.