Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu recently unveiled a government review of the district council system, bringing this long-delayed issue back into focus. Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that the groundwork has already begun.
First, the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) has been phasing out the Mutual Aid Committee (MAC) program since July 2022 in response to its diminishing role. Then, in January this year, the government kick-started a new initiative to set up the District Services and Community Care Teams (Care Teams) in the Tsuen Wan and Southern districts, and extended them to the other 16 districts in March. The ultimate goal is to have Care Teams in 452 subdistricts across the city to strengthen community networks and take care of the needy in the neighborhoods. Most recently in March, the government increased the number of Area Committees from 63 to 71. The Area Committees, District Fire Safety Committees and District Fight Crime Committees are all community-level organizations performing regular advisory functions for the government.
At this point, we are able to see the prototype of the whole district administration reform plan. Through an effective and orderly division of labor, the district councils (DCs), the Care Teams and the three committees mentioned above will collaborate to foster district work, with the aim of establishing the advisory role of the DCs more clearly and, at the same time, to deepen and refine the work at the district level.
This structure is similar to that in Japan, where municipal-level assemblies are paired with Neighborhood Associations. Another example is Singapore, where Community Development Councils and Citizens’ Consultative Committees are paired with Residents’ Committees. Both are characterized by rendering neighborhood-level services, acting as a communication bridge between the local authorities and the public, and playing an instrumental role in social stability, as evidenced by their excellent coordination and efficient mobilization.
The DC is therefore an important, but not the only, consideration in the current review of district administration. We should certainly prevent DCs from deteriorating and becoming politicized again by revamping their composition and electoral system. However, I believe the government’s vision goes far beyond “defense”, and seeks to improve the governance efficacy at the district level, as well as long-term social stability and harmony.
The most immediate reason for such consideration is the abolition of appointed seats since 2015, which led to a surge in the proportion of directly elected members and an increasingly politicized slant. During the period of the “black-clad” riots, there was constant chaos in the councils. Through the media, many readers witnessed how the DCs were hijacked and degenerated into a “battlefield” that threatened national security, advocated “Hong Kong independence” and promoted violence. For a long time, the district work was stuck in a deadlock of political bickering, making it difficult for the DCs to fulfill their consultative function conferred by Article 97 of the Basic Law. Therefore, I endorse the chief executive’s insistence that the review of district administration should adhere to three principles, including safeguarding national security, implementing “patriots administering Hong Kong”, and fully implementing executive-led governance.
From my firsthand experience as a LegCo member, a diverse and balanced composition of members allows for smooth cooperation between the executive and the legislature, while accommodating voices from different sectors and bringing in patriotic, dedicated professionals to participate in the council’s work
But is it enough to prevent the DCs from being controlled by malicious politicians? A more forward-looking vision is needed. The plight of the fifth wave of COVID-19 is still vivid in many people’s minds. The pandemic caused over 1 million infections and 7,000 deaths in just three months. Apart from the inadequacies of our medical system, the district administration system also collapsed. At that time, the former Home Affairs Bureau had over 2,200 employees, the Social Welfare Department had over 6,500 employees, and there were 164 subsidized social welfare units serving the districts, but the public health disaster revealed a lack of crisis management capacity and weak community mobilization.
This is why we should learn lessons and organize district work meticulously at a neighborhood level. In times of emergency, resources can be pooled quickly to provide relief to residents in need. In normal times, the DCs, the Care Teams and the aforementioned three committees can make joint efforts to provide community services, strengthen the link between the authorities and residents, steer public sentiment and support the implementation of government policies. Overall, this structure will become the backbone of the grassroots network closest to residents and is essential for social stability.
According to the government proposal, the seventh-term DCs will be composed of appointed, indirectly elected and directly elected members. They account for about 40 percent, 40 percent and 20 percent respectively of the total 470 seats. In fact, the proportion of seats returned by popular vote is similar to that of the Legislative Council (22 percent). From my firsthand experience as a LegCo member, a diverse and balanced composition of members allows for smooth cooperation between the executive and the legislature, while accommodating voices from different sectors and bringing in patriotic, dedicated professionals to participate in the council’s work. The same approach is also conducive to community-level livelihood issues and regional development.
Lastly, the government has proposed to redraw the constituencies so that each district councilor has to cover a larger area. In the last election, many candidates raised political issues and managed to get only 1,000 votes to occupy a seat. In addition, some members often compete with narrow vision for resources on issues related to their respective districts, such as transport, healthcare and recreation. Larger constituencies, together with the introduction of a double-seat single-vote system, will roughly maintain the total number of councilors, but each candidate will have to gain more public support and consider livelihood issues from a broader perspective once elected. Such a redesign of the DCs, together with the activity-based Care Teams and the three committees, will improve people’s livelihoods at all levels, from neighborhoods, housing estates, streets to communities.
The author is a Legislative Council member representing the Technology and Innovation Functional Constituency, a tech entrepreneur and a tech investor.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.