President Xi Jinping noted in a meeting late last year with Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in Beijing that Hong Kong’s new electoral system had proved to be consistent with the principle of “one country, two systems” and Hong Kong’s actual situation, and provided the institutional support to ensure the smooth implementation of “one country, two systems” as well as the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.
Practice is the only standard to test the truth. Why is the new electoral system, under which two important elections — namely, the election of the Election Committee and the Legislative Council have been held — “a good system”?
President Xi stressed that the key to a country’s success depends on whether the path it takes is in line with its national conditions and the trend of development of the era; whether it can bring about economic development, social progress, improvement in people’s livelihoods and social stability; whether it can win the support of the people; and whether it can make contributions for the cause of human development.
As Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah said in her blog in response to the white paper on “The Development of Democracy in Hong Kong under One Country, Two Systems”, the improved electoral system not only embodies the “patriots administering Hong Kong” precept, but also enhances democracy through consultation
Applying this to Hong Kong’s democratic development, we have to see whether this new electoral system is consistent with Hong Kong’s actual situation, whether it takes into account the interests of all sectors of society, whether it is conducive to Hong Kong’s economic development and the resolution of various deep-rooted conflicts and problems, whether it can elect people who love the country and Hong Kong with both talent and virtue to govern this city, whether it has the backing of the majority of Hong Kong people, and whether it can safeguard Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability and “one country, two systems”. Only the democracy model that results in good governance is true and effective democracy. This is also the litmus test to determine whether Hong Kong’s new electoral system is a good one.
Hong Kong’s new electoral system is conducive to “governance-based democracy” for good governance. Wang Chen, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, has pointed out that one of the key principles in improving Hong Kong’s electoral system is to enhance the effectiveness of Hong Kong’s governance. The new electoral system will go a long way to strengthen the special administrative region’s executive-led governance, thus ensuring the smooth and effective operation of the HKSAR’s political system and governance mechanism.
The core of the new electoral system is a comprehensive reform of the Election Committee. With the full participation of the public, the manifestation of the state’s will and the implementation of the executive-led system, the revamped electoral system not only places emphasis on procedural democracy, but also ensures that democratic politics can achieve good governance, the embodiment of substantial democracy. This has undoubtedly demonstrated the effectiveness and merits of Hong Kong’s “governance-based democracy”. The new LegCo comprises 40 seats for the Election Committee, 20 seats for the Geographical Constituencies, and 30 seats for the Functional Constituencies. This composition allows democracy to flourish, making it easier to stimulate the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of all the sectors and professions represented by the broadly representative Election Committee, Geographical Constituencies and Functional Constituencies, and the legislature to focus properly on pooling constructive ideas on a democratic basis, making it easier to form scientific decisions and put them into action.
The new electoral system in Hong Kong is also conducive to a “dynamic democracy” that brings together the wisdom of the people. Deng Xiaoping once said that the greatest form of democracy was the mobilization of enthusiasm. The economic miracle that China has achieved during 40 years of reform and modernization is the result of the implementation of people’s democracy, which has stimulated the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of hundreds of millions of people, developed productivity, and enabled the people to truly participate in reform and social construction.
Hong Kong’s new electoral system also ensures that Hong Kong residents enjoy genuine democratic rights and participate in democratic elections, and that they can take part in and manage Hong Kong’s affairs directly or indirectly through various channels and forms, such as the Geographical Constituencies and the Functional Constituencies. Through this rich and diverse democratic channel of the Election Committee, Geographical Constituencies and Functional Constituencies, the central government, the SAR government and Hong Kong residents are closely linked, with the latter’s wishes and aspirations fully expressed and effectively realized, and their wishes and voices being the basis for the central government to grasp public opinion and the SAR government to reasonably implement policies.
The new electoral system serves the purpose of its latest improvement, as articulated by Xia Baolong, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, in his earlier speech: On the one hand, we must exclude all anti-China elements from Hong Kong’s political establishment; and on the other hand, we must ensure that staunch patriots with strong governance skills are elected. The Election Committee and LegCo elections that have taken place under the revamped election system have effectively kept the anti-China elements at bay. It is hoped that the Election Committee members, the LegCo members and the new chief executive to be elected under the new electoral system will prove the worth of the revamped electoral system with their admirable performance. They are to be tested by time on: whether they have a firm stance and are good at fully and accurately implementing the “one country, two systems” principle in the practice of governance; whether they are responsible and good at resolving the various conflicts and problems that hinder Hong Kong’s development; whether they are caring for the people and being connected to them; whether they are inspirational and good at uniting the people; and whether they are responsible in fulfilling their duties. These five criteria are essentially the litmus test for the success of the revamped electoral system and the new democratic model.
In his 2022 New Year’s greeting, President Xi said that the motherland has always been concerned about the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao, and only through concerted efforts can “one country, two systems” be secured. As Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah said in her blog in response to the white paper on “The Development of Democracy in Hong Kong under One Country, Two Systems”, the improved electoral system not only embodies the “patriots administering Hong Kong” precept, but also enhances democracy through consultation.
There are reasons to be confident that Hong Kong’s new electoral system will go a long way to boost the socioeconomic development of Hong Kong, Hong Kong people’s sense of achievement and happiness, and the further integration of Hong Kong into the overall development of the country.
The author is the vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Hua Jing Society and vice-president of the Hong Kong and Mainland Legal Professional Association.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.