A Hong Kong taxi driver waves a national flag on Dec 18 as his vehicle carries a Legislative Council election poster. The driver was taking part in a parade calling for eligible voters to cast their ballots in the Dec 19 poll. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)
Despite continuous smearing and slander from local radicals and certain backstage manipulators, Hong Kong’s first Legislative Council election under an improved electoral system concluded smoothly this past weekend, becoming a milestone for the Chinese special administrative region in developing a democracy that suits its actual situation.
Voters and analysts hailed the poll on Dec 19 as open and fair, and said it offered a strong guarantee for the SAR’s stability and prosperity.
With 1.35 million voters casting their ballots at more than 630 polling stations, 90 lawmakers for the SAR’s seventh LegCo were elected from the Election Committee, geographical and functional constituencies.
After taking office on Jan 1, they will serve the public for the next four years. The lawmakers will have their first meeting on Jan 12.
For many observers and local residents, the election under the improved system was a totally different experience. Economist David Wong Yau-kar, who is chairman of the Council of the Education University of Hong Kong, said the election was a vast improvement on those held previously.
Candidates actively competed on their action agenda and ability. They are also serious about serving the people by bringing about more effective governance that addresses the core interests of the public in areas such as housing, livelihoods, healthcare and the economy.
Gone are the candidates who want to advance their personal political agendas by undermining the government and “one country, two systems”, Wong said.
Vincent Cheng Wing-shun (wearing orange, holding a microphone), one of the candidates seeking a seat in the Kowloon West Geographical Constituency in the 2021 Legislative Council election, asks voters for support outside the Sham Shui Po MTR Station on Dec 19. (RAYMOND CHAN / CHINA DAILY)
Duncan Abate, a lawyer and member of the Employers’ Federation of Hong Kong, a non-profit organization that represents the interests of employers, said: “It’s a real step forward for Hong Kong to put (the) past behind (us) and move forward … and to move away from the frozen, rather fractious system which we had historically.”
He said he hopes the new LegCo will ease the city’s polarization and take the city to greater prosperity.
The election for the seventh-term LegCo started at 8:30 am on Dec 19 and lasted until late at night. It saw 153 candidates vying for 90 seats.
The voter turnout for the Election Committee constituency, to elect 40 legislators, was close to 99 percent. More than 1.35 million people voted in the geographical constituencies for 20 legislators, with a turnout of 30.2 percent. And more than 70,000 voters in the functional constituencies returned the remaining 30 seats, with a turnout of 32 percent.
Zhao Jiayin, vice-chairman of Hong Kong youth group Hua Jing Society, said the rational, fair and orderly election is a far cry from previous polls that were often chaotic and politicized to a large degree by radical opposition.
This time, people paid more attention to livelihood and development issues, as well as the ability and quality of candidates, who no longer need to rack their brains to grab more attention by smearing rivals and launching vicious competition. They only need to fully demonstrate their expertise, agenda, contribution and sense of responsibility, Zhao said.
Electioneering activities continue late into the evening in Tseung Kwan O of the New Territories South East Geographical Constituency. The poll closed at 10:30 pm on Dec 19. (RAYMOND CHAN / CHINA DAILY)
Wide representation
According to an opinion poll conducted by the Bauhinia Institute, a think tank based in Hong Kong, 77.9 percent of 1,528 voters surveyed believed the LegCo election is of great importance to the SAR’s future, and 75.8 percent agreed that the poll would be fair and widely representative. More than 72 percent of those surveyed were confident the election would produce LegCo members who love the motherland and their home city, thus benefiting all Hong Kong people.
This is further evidence that the election, the first major such exercise after the electoral system reform, was more about which candidate can serve the SAR better and help take measures to improve the people’s livelihoods.
After Hong Kong was roiled by months of unprecedented violent protests in 2019, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress adopted two decisions to help the SAR restore order — one to promulgate the National Security Law for the Hong Kong SAR, in June last year; and the other to improve the SAR’s flawed electoral system, in March this year. Under the revamped system, the number of LegCo members has been increased from 70 to 90, with a newly added Election Committee constituency.
Stanley Sy Ming-yiu, chief executive of a local biotech company, said that after a series of social events, candidates have a relatively unified consensus on Hong Kong’s development directions and have been actively seeking change and innovation in their political agenda to better serve the interests of the public.
Sy said this change showed broad representation and balanced participation. Candidates for the election included elite leaders from business, academia, and professionals, as well as representatives of laborers, employees, and operators of small and medium-sized enterprises from the grassroots. There were experienced senior political participants and a new generation of young people full of motivation and innovation.
Residents walk to a polling station in Sha Tin on Dec 19 to vote in the Legislative Council election in Hong Kong. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)
Such diversity will better reflect the voices of the majority of Hong Kong people and respond to their demands, Sy said, adding that the electoral improvement will boost Hong Kong governance to the next level.
Nury Vittachi, editor of fridayeveryday.com, an online news website based in Hong Kong, noted the participation of residents from all walks of life.
“People from different camps, they are all coming out to vote … There’s a whole range of people from workers, fishermen, teachers, nurses, all the way up to the business elites,” he said.
Voters are relieved to have a calm atmosphere during the Dec 19 election, Vittachi said, compared to the previous District Council polls, which were full of tension.
He said he looks forward to a more inclusive new LegCo, with more diversified voices as well as cohesion.
Hong Kong business leader Henry Tang Ying-yen said he believes the election marked the return of healthy and fair competition. In his view, the new system purges election campaigns of vicious, aggressive and populist squabbles, and also rejects social fragmentation and barbaric confrontation.
In this election, candidates were able to compete on the basis of their platforms, competence and interaction with voters, enabling in-depth discussions on economic and livelihood issues, which are of primary concern to society. The election also helps channel public opinion and shape policy recommendations that are more in line with the actual situation in Hong Kong, Tang said.
Clarence Ling Chun-kit, chairman of Y Elites Association, an organization made up of business leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals in Hong Kong, said he was glad to see many fresh faces and a number of young candidates run in the election.
“I hope those who win will build a new, energetic image of the next term of the LegCo and will introduce more policies about youth development to the city,” said Ling, who is a businessman and a member of the 1,500-strong Election Committee.
Barnabas Fung Wah, chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission (2nd right), and Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs (2nd left), open the first ballot box of the Legislative Council election at the central counting station at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, on Dec 19. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)
Although polling was successfully completed, some people still attempted to smear Hong Kong’s democratic development and discredit the election by making a fuss over the turnout, which they claimed would reduce the legitimacy of the exercise.
Many recent overseas examples show that turnout does not have to reach big numbers. The figure for the New York mayoral election on Nov 2
was about 24 percent, and for the French regional elections in June, it was 33 percent.
Ho Lok-sang, a veteran economist from Lingnan University, said a high turnout would not necessarily represent the legitimacy of the election. What really matters is the elected lawmakers’ ability to serve the public.
“Some people think that a government needs a high rate of endorsement by voters in order to be legitimate. Believers of Western-style democracy subscribe to the view that only a popularly elected government is legitimate, but this is blind belief,” he said.
The turnout was affected by repeated attempts by local radicals and certain foreign forces to disrupt and slander the election. Fugitives such as Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Ted Hui Chi-fung, who have fled overseas to escape justice, blatantly urged Hong Kong people on social media to boycott the election or cast invalid ballots.
Many local people think it is strange that Law, who is wanted by Hong Kong police on suspicion of breaking the National Security Law, should be invited to give a speech during the so-called Summit for Democracy organized by the United States recently, to defame the democratic systems of HKSAR and the Chinese mainland.
In addition, some foreign media and politicians smeared the revamping of Hong Kong’s electoral system as “democratic backsliding” and expressed support for local residents to spoil the election.
Solicitor and business leader Kennedy Wong Ying-ho said the moves by some Western politicians clearly demonstrated their hypocrisy and double standards.
Electoral staff prepare for vote counting at the central counting station at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Dec 19. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)
Rosemary Terrance, who is from the United Kingdom, said she was excited to vote for the first time in an election in Hong Kong. “Hong Kong is a global city … I want to be part of it,” she said. “I want to be part of what this is going forward.”
So did William Stargel, who works in the software industry, as he said, “Everybody’s voice needs to be heard, and when offered the opportunity to vote, why wouldn’t you?”
Ng Ping-ping, a nursing care worker in Chai Wan, said: “Voting is our responsibility, as well as our right. I hope Hong Kong will become prosperous and stable again, and the new lawmakers can represent the interests of the underprivileged.”
Chan, a retiree, said he cherished his right to vote, adding that this is a way to let competent LegCo hopefuls bring residents’ voices to the government.
“I hope the elected ones can bring about some policy changes, especially in education and housing,” Chan said.
Veteran political analyst Lau Siu-kai said the foreign forces’ moves were futile anti-China plots. He said the influence of Western-style democracy is decreasing around the world due to its deficiencies in promoting people’s livelihoods.
He added that instead of blindly following Western-style democracy, Hong Kong’s new electoral system has taken into consideration the city’s historical background, and conforms to its actuality.
Lau believes the revamped electoral system is beneficial to Hong Kong’s long-term political, economic and social development and the improvement of people’s livelihoods.
Jo Lee, a veteran journalist who has specialized in covering social and political issues in Hong Kong and the mainland, said the LegCo election shows how real democracy works for those who have the people and the country’s true interests in their hearts.
“The fugitives and failed politicians can eat their words,” she said.
Starry Lee Wai-king (2nd right) and Chan Hak-kan (3rd left), chairwoman and vice-chairman respectively of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, celebrate with party members on Dec 20 after they each won a seat in the 2021 Legislative Council election. Lee and Chan were at the counting station at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)
Improved system
Mark Pinkstone, former chief information officer of the Hong Kong government, noted that the basis for the new candidates is loyalty to Hong Kong.
“Democracy prevails in Hong Kong ... No longer will the legislature be used as a base for subversion, as in the past,” he said.
Experts also believe the latest election offers a strong guarantee for the SAR’s lasting stability and prosperity.
Chandran Nair, CEO of pan-Asian think tank The Global Institute for Tomorrow, said he has faith that the election candidates will contribute to the city and its people.
“One has to have faith that those people who talk about this (the election) have Hong Kong’s interests in mind, and those people who are to take office are very serious about this.”
Tang, the business leader, said the improved mechanism helps elect high-quality, capable, committed and loyal patriots, who shoulder great responsibility in serving the public well.
By firmly upholding the “patriots administering Hong Kong” principle, the new system excluded those who aim to undermine the interests of HKSAR and the mainland, and thus contributed to the stability of the legislature’s future operation, he said.
Grenville Cross, senior counsel and former director of public prosecutions in Hong Kong, believes that under the revamped system the elected lawmakers will be trustworthy and put Hong Kong and national interests first. All of them can be relied upon to promote the “one country, two systems” policy and to make Hong Kong a better place.
After the election, the government will be able to work with the LegCo to resolve longstanding problems and avoid mindless politicking launched by destabilizing forces that led to the social unrest in 2019, Cross said.
A political environment that prioritizes good governance and social stability will provide investors the positive business climate they need, and will enable them to benefit fully from the nation’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development, he said.
Wong, the Education University council chairman, said the revamping of the electoral system represents the most “important and sweeping” change since the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR, as it has redressed the core problem of the old system, which produced a LegCo that was ineffective in solving problems of great concern to the public.
He believes that in the future, LegCo will be well represented by legislators who are knowledgeable in their respective fields and will serve with the broader public interest in mind.
“We can look forward to constructive policy debates that will ultimately help bring about better governance for Hong Kong. In that, I think Hong Kong will get the kind of vibrant democratic system that will serve its people well,” Wong added.
