Mark Pinkstone says authorities make plans for clean election though foreign forces continue to work against it.
As the West decries the lack of democracy in Hong Kong, some 4.5 million eligible voters are to elect their representatives in the Legislative Council. Yes, there is democracy in Hong Kong tailor-made to suit local conditions.
Hong Kong was on track for 100 percent universal suffrage as prescribed in its Basic Law, but the path was railroaded by an insurgence interference into the running of its meetings. The last term of LegCo was marred by continual filibustering, absentees, and shenanigans to disrupt meetings by the so-called pro-democracy camp. The chamber was being used as a base for subversion. Essential bills, needed for the smooth running of Hong Kong, were blocked, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was on the verge of a standstill. The holdup was initiated by one man, Dennis Kwok Wing-hang, who, as deputy chairman of the House Committee, tried his best to block the election of a new chairperson to head the all-important committee for eight months. In July 2020, in the run-up to the new LegCo elections originally scheduled to be held on Sept 6, 2020, the electoral officers ruled Kwok and 11 colleagues’ nominations for running in the elections as invalid for failing to meet the requirements under the Legislative Council Ordinance. And in November, following a decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, he was disqualified from the Legislative Council along with three other lawmakers for no longer being qualified to continue serving as lawmakers.
Yes, there is democracy in Hong Kong tailor-made to suit local conditions. Hong Kong was on track for 100 percent universal suffrage as prescribed in its Basic Law, but the path was railroaded by an insurgence interference into the running of its meetings. … The central government was concerned about the formation and stability of the council, and to ensure that stability was reinstalled, it came up with a formula to ensure there would be no more interruptions in the smooth running of the august body, and Hong Kong could move forward
The “democrats” were strongly united, and instead of caring for their constituents, they resigned en masse (except for two who remained in the council). For the rest of the legislative session, there were no “democrats” to hold up the proceedings.
The central government was concerned about the formation and stability of the council, and to ensure that stability was reinstalled, it came up with a formula to ensure there would be no more interruptions in the smooth running of the august body, and Hong Kong could move forward.
Under the new overhaul of the legislature, the total number of seats will be increased from 70 to 90 seats, with the directly elected geographical constituencies holding 20, the trade-based indirectly elected functional constituencies staying at 30, and the remaining 40 seats being elected by the 1,500-member Election Committee. (The Election Committee also elects the chief executive of the HKSAR, as against 538 electors who elect the president of the United States). Both the functional constituencies and the Election Committee constituency are filled by a very representation of the local community. Effectively, all seats will be filled by election, geographically or by their peers.
The elections will be keenly contested, with 153 candidates vying for the 90 seats.
Besides the about 4,472,000 voters eligible for the geographical constituencies, there are 218,972 voters eligible for the functional constituencies, and 1,500 voters for the Election Committee constituency.
All candidates have been vetted by the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee to ensure they are patriots, i.e., they love Hong Kong for what it is and their motherland, and agree to abide by the Basic Law of the HKSAR. The basis for the new candidates is loyalty to Hong Kong. No longer will the legislature be used as a base for subversion, as in the past.
Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Director Xia Baolong said at the seminar of “patriots administering Hong Kong” that Hong Kong must establish a “democratic electoral system with Hong Kong characteristics”. He later said the revamped LegCo elections would be better than previous ones in four aspects: They are more broadly represented, more politically inclusive, more evenly balanced, and more competitive. He also called on all eligible voters to take advantage of choosing their representatives by casting their votes on Dec 19.
Mr Xia said that the city had been blindly pursuing democracy in a Western style, which has only led to promotion of separation, conflict and “black-clad violence.” He called for residents to exercise their civil rights and vote in the election to push forward substantive democracy in Hong Kong.
“For those who uphold ‘one country, two systems’ and hope Hong Kong becomes better and better, they will execute their democratic rights in accordance with the law to cast their sacred ballot and choose a lawmaker to represent them,” he said.
His words were echoed by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who said LegCo experienced chaos in recent years because non-patriots were allowed to participate in the lawmaking process, but instead they abused the system. However, under the new “patriots-only” principle, authorities were looking forward to working together with lawmakers in the new LegCo term to begin next month.
Yet, while local authorities make plans for a clean election, outside forces are still hellbent on marring the election outcome. The Independent Commission Against Corruption has issued arrest warrants for disgraced ex-lawmaker Ted Hui Chi-fung, now hiding in Australia, and former District Council member Yau Man-chun, hiding in the United Kingdom, for incitement by urging voters to cast blank ballots, while The Wall Street Journal called on “boycotts and blank ballots as being one of the last ways for Hong Kong people to express their political views”. Incitement to boycott or cast blank votes in the elections is against the law.
The author is a former chief information officer of the Hong Kong government, a PR/media consultant and a veteran journalist.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.