The 2023 District Council (DC) Ordinary Election will be held on Sunday, which marks the first step of the reform of the District Council elections, and also the final step in the implementation of the Decision on Improving the Electoral System of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. In the 2023 District Council Ordinary Election, the original 452 small constituencies throughout Hong Kong have been consolidated into 44 large constituencies. The nomination situation indicates intense competition in each constituency, and the previously common occurrences of automatic victories by members of opposition parties by rigging political issues for electoral gains are no longer present.
A crucial indicator of the success of this DC election is whether capable and virtuous candidates are successfully elected to enhance the quality of services provided by the DCs. The primary focus of the DC election is to restore the original mission of DCs, which is to improve the well-being of residents.
Returning to original purpose of DCs
Article 97 of the Basic Law provides that “District organizations which are not organs of political power may be established in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, to be consulted by the government of the Region on district administration and other affairs, or to be responsible for providing services in such fields as culture, recreation and environmental sanitation.” The DCs are the district organizations referred to in Article 97. As a directly elected DC member for 13 years, I deeply understand the indispensable role of DCs in community development and improving people’s livelihoods. Looking back at history, in June 1980, the government published the “Green Paper on A Pattern of District Administration in Hong Kong”, seeking public opinions on local administrative development. Subsequently, in January 1981, the “White Paper on District Administration in Hong Kong” was released, proposing the establishment of 18 DCs. The first DC was established in 1982, comprising official members, appointed members, elected members and ex officio members. The composition of DCs has undergone several reforms, but it has generally included appointed, elected and ex officio members.
These three types of members each have their strengths, with directly elected councilors often being more attuned to grassroots issues. Unfortunately, since the complete removal of 68 appointed seats in the 2016 District Council elections, there has been a trend of populism in the DCs. Some unprofessional and inexperienced opposition politicians incited some voters to cast their votes solely based on political stances. DCs were hijacked. The role of DCs was distorted. DCs became stages for political conflicts, instead of platforms for advising and providing services on cultural, recreational, environmental, health and other matters. In the 2019 DC elections, my joint office in Sham Shui Po was attacked with three Molotov cocktails simply because we belong to the pro-establishment camp. Many residents dared not go out to vote, and candidates were unable to campaign, overshadowed by a constant fear of threats to personal safety. The 2019 violent incidents revealed the opposition’s willingness to resort to any means to seize control of DC constituencies, jeopardizing the fairness of elections and undermining community stability. This situation prompted people to reconsider whether it is a good arrangement for all DCs to be directly elected. Does it genuinely benefit people’s well-being, or does it sacrifice people’s livelihoods and safety for the sake of elections?
New system favors election of talent
The upcoming DC elections represent the “last mile” of improving Hong Kong’s electoral system. Under the new system, the new DCs will be composed of appointed councilors, councilors from the District Committees’ constituencies (commonly known as the “three committees”), directly elected councilors, and ex officio councilors. As mentioned earlier, with each councilor representing a larger constituency, it is difficult for individual councilors to hijack the entire council. This allows DCs to restore their original functions and focus on district-level affairs.
Furthermore, the improved electoral system reintroduces appointed members to the DCs. Based on my past experience, DCs can benefit from appointed councilors. Without the pressure of elections, appointed councilors can better plan and coordinate district-level issues objectively, making it easier to reach a consensus on societal and livelihood planning. In the past five years, because of distortions in the election process, some knowledgeable individuals and professionals were hesitant to participate in direct elections. The reintroduction of appointed members provides an opportunity for these professionals to contribute their expertise to regional development and community work.
Simultaneously, the reformed DCs retain the direct election system. As a former directly elected district councilor, I understand the valuable training opportunities direct elections provide for young people. Participation in direct elections allows motivated and capable young individuals to contribute fresh perspectives to community development, making DCs more dynamic and reflective of diverse community needs.
Moreover, a district officer will serve as the chairman of the DC. This leadership structure aims to guide councilors to serve their districts with a pragmatic and proactive attitude, enhancing leadership, and coordinating the roles of various political parties, fully embodying administrative leadership and ensuring that district-level governance aligns with the government’s direction.
The 2023 District Council (DC) Ordinary Election will be held on Sunday, which marks the first step of the reform of the District Council elections, and also the final step in the implementation of the Decision on Improving the Electoral System of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Performance reflects effectiveness
The voter turnout in DC elections is important because it reflects the public’s awareness and engagement with the new electoral system. However, based on past experiences, a higher voter turnout is often associated with increased social divisions and intensified conflicts. Therefore, voter turnout alone cannot determine the success of the new system. It’s essential to focus on whether the elections attract more outstanding and diverse talents to join DCs and contribute to district-level work by providing valuable opinions to the government.
The improved DCs will have nine consultative functions, including providing opinions to the government on district-level affairs affecting residents’ livelihoods, living environment and well-being. District councilors will have to actively collect public opinions on issues designated by the DC chairman, establish regular communication mechanisms with residents, assist in promoting government policies and laws, and provide services related to culture, recreation, environment and health that are beneficial to residents, including consultation or referral services for individual cases.
With the improvement of the electoral system, DCs have reinstated the appointed councilor system while also introducing the indirect election system through the three sectors. This is designed to attract talent, ensure the diversity of councilors’ abilities, and better utilize their professional services to benefit society.
I strongly agree with Zheng Yanxiong, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, who proposes three “sincere” standards for patriots: sincere in safeguarding national sovereignty and security; sincere in respecting and upholding the fundamental institutions of the country and the constitutional order of the HKSAR; and sincere in safeguarding the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. Determining who is a patriot requires not only listening to their words but also observing their actions. Only those who genuinely adhere to the three “sincere” standards can be considered true patriots and qualified to serve on DCs.
Voters should treasure their votes and cast their votes wisely.
The author is a member of the Legislative Council, a member of the Committee for the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, chairman of Basic Law Education Association and a professor at the Law School of City University of Hong Kong.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
