Last week, Hong Kong’s Legislative Council passed the landmark “Improving Electoral System (Consolidated Amendments) Bill 2021”, a major step toward improving the HKSAR’s political system, in particular the relationship between the executive branch and the legislature. The bill was passed with 40 voting “yes”, while two independent opposition members voted “no”. It came into immediate effect after being gazetted on Monday.
In response to the major social unrest that rattled the city in 2019 like never before — alongside continued defiance by opposition lawmakers — the new law will put an end to the constant filibustering that has immobilized Hong Kong’s democratic process.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government’s inability to rein in the chaos has meant that the central government has had little choice but to step in and take drastic — albeit decisive — action.
No more will the opposition scuttle the work being done by those who seek to serve the people of Hong Kong, and no more will they continue to delay crucial funding applications for the city’s growth and prosperity; the opposition from here on will have to play by the rules as laid down in the Basic Law.
In the words of the Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, this new legislation will “(plug) the loopholes in Hong Kong’s electoral system that (have) seriously jeopardized Hong Kong’s constitutional order, endangered national security, and obstructed governance as reflected in the political chaos in recent years”.
Some legislators have attempted to keep their former full-time positions, alongside their LegCo positions which has raised serious questions as to their commitment and ability to do a proper job in LegCo. Some legislators, for example, continued to work as full-time doctors. Were they able to balance two extremely demanding roles to look after patients’ interests
The “loopholes”, to which Lam referred, include the ones that have allowed the opposition to largely occupy the city’s municipal level district councils. Now through appropriate vetting by the Election Committee, only patriots can participate in elections.
The Election Committee will have an additional 300 seats added, totalling 1,500 members. The new “fifth sector” will comprise members from prominent national bodies, such as the National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, to name a few. The committee will also include Hong Kong people who currently live or work on the Chinese mainland.
And LegCo’s 70 seats will be increased to 90. Of the 90 seats, 35 of the directly elected seats that pertain to the city’s geographical constituencies will be reduced to 20. Forty seats will be returned by the Election Committee.
Although these changes have become necessary through strenuous circumstances, we are grateful that the central government has introduced these much-needed changes to our electoral system and righted the many wrongs of the past.
In the past 24 years since the 1997 handover, Hong Kong has been slowly run in the ground by unpatriotic and sometimes treasonous individuals who have been furthering their own agenda. Now, we can finally rely on patriots into our electoral system who will run Hong Kong properly.
Deng Xiaoping aptly described a patriot in the following quote. “A patriot is one who respects the Chinese nationality, sincerely supports the motherland’s resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong and wishes not to impair Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.”
Critics who have spoken out against these electoral reforms have overlooked the fact that political stances on local government, and in the case of Hong Kong SAR matters, is irrelevant when it comes to defining a patriot.
But as expected, LegCo will employ the highest of standards when it comes to their public servants. As well as being dedicated patriots, they must be fully committed to the duties of LegCo and give everything to serve the people and better our society.
In the recent past, many LegCo members have put their energies into creating obstacles for enacting meaningful legislation to tackle major issues such as the severe housing shortage.
It goes without saying that being a legislator is a full-time commitment; you’re either all in or you’re not. Some legislators have attempted to keep their former full-time positions, alongside their LegCo positions which has raised serious questions as to their commitment and ability to do a proper job in LegCo. Some legislators, for example, continued to work as full-time doctors. Were they able to balance two extremely demanding roles to look after patients’ interests?
Being a legislator is a well-paid position that commands an annual salary of HK$1 million ($128,900), alongside a very handsome allowance and paid expenses for assistants and researchers.On top of their sizeable salary, legislators receive an end-of-service gratuity — equivalent to 15 percent of their salary — provided they fulfilled the entirety of their four-year term. In April, it was revealed that the gratuities given to the 19 opposition lawmakers who resigned last year totaled a whopping HK$13.3 million.
I must advise future legislators to fully commit themselves to their roles, and not drag their feet when it comes to working for the public’s interest. We have had enough of social climbers reaping the benefits of their position without giving back to the electorate.
This isn’t to say that all those who are in the opposition are not welcome in LegCo. These lawmakers can still stand by their political views and serve the public as best they can by passing necessary legislation. But they have to be patriotic. No one should ever repeat the antics of dashing off to Washington, DC, to ask the US government to act against China or its Hong Kong SAR.
We are confident that these electoral reforms will right these wrongs. But this confidence hinges on the dedication and diligence of our future lawmakers — come December 2021. They will have to show the highest of standards. The people of Hong Kong deserve only the best from their politicians, and nothing short of that. Patriotism is only a basic and not the entire set of qualifications.
The author is president of Wisdom Hong Kong, a think tank.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.