A staff member debugs devices at the media center of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Hong Kong on Dec 19, 2021. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Hong Kong residents from various sectors on Monday expressed high expectations for the new legislature, saying they hope it will focus on improving people’s livelihoods and free the society from its political quagmire.
Sunday’s Legislative Council poll is the special administrative region’s first legislative election held under the new electoral system.
The legislature, which was expanded from 70 to 90 seats, augurs well for Hong Kong, said Mark Pinkstone, former chief information officer for the Hong Kong government, during an interview with China Daily. There will be more voices to scrutinize bills and debate issues without interference, he added.
READ MORE: Mark Pinkstone: Enlarged LegCo augurs well for HK
The new legislature will take Hong Kong people’s aspirations to heart with its wide representation of the entire community, Pinkstone said.
Kacee Ting Wong, barrister and vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, said the 90 lawmakers-elect represent a vast spectrum of Hong Kong society, including grassroots groups, the business sector and professionals.
Ting said he believes the legislature’s policymaking process will be more social-need oriented rather than politically driven. In the past, a small group of radicals often succeeded in hijacking the LegCo proceedings by resorting to filibustering and violence, which had greatly weakened the legislature’s efficiency, he recalled.
Calvin Chau, president of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Small and Medium Business, also said that the revamped electoral system will bring Hong Kong’s democratic and economic developments back on track.
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Henry Ho Kin-chung, founder and chairman of the One Country Two Systems Youth Forum, said he expects lawmakers to put the overall interests of Hong Kong and the nation above their own individual and political parties’ interests, pragmatically upholding the principle of “one country, two systems”.
They should scrutinize the government’s policies diligently and contribute their professional knowledge as well as reflect people’s views in building a better Hong Kong, he said.
The term of the seventh Legislative Council will begin on Jan 1.
