Hong Kong public expects better city, as promised in district poll revamp
- Hong Kong now looks to ‘patriotic’ councillors successfully returned following a ballot marred by technical glitches and an anticipated low turnout
The revamped district council election is widely seen as the final step on the path to complete a high-stakes governance overhaul vital for Hong Kong’s future.
With a new league of “patriotic” councillors successfully returned following a ballot marred by technical glitches and an expected low turnout, the latest journey has just begun.
Those representatives, together with the government, have to live up to expectations and prove that people’s livelihoods can genuinely improve under the new system.
The way forward for the newly constituted lower-tier structure has been clearly reflected in the “five expectations” from the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office.
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Polls open in Hong Kong’s new ‘patriots-only’ district council election
Apart from upholding the principle of “one country, two systems” and adhering to the “non-government district organisation” role, members are also expected to help resolve conflicts, do practical things for residents, unite society and fulfil their duties conscientiously.
Describing it as a new chapter, Beijing’s liaison office expressed confidence in developing democracy with Hong Kong characteristics and enhancing the quality of district governance.
The overhaul came in a mission to improve livelihoods. Councils are required to address some complex and long-standing problems and deliver results that truly make a difference. They also have to stay united and enlist broader public support for their role.
Considering the huge campaigns urging people to vote, the turnout of 27.54 per cent may appear disappointing, but the outcome could have been worse had officials sat back and done nothing.
Voting behaviour is shaped in various ways. Public apathy should not come as too much of a surprise in light of the prevailing mood. Indeed, the government may be relieved to find more than a million people voted.
Hong Kong’s first ‘patriots-only’ district poll is ‘real, functioning democracy’
But the fact remains that the social divide deepened by the 2019 unrest, the imposed national security law that followed and electoral shake-up has yet to be bridged.
The sentiment of the “silent majority” is food for thought for the authorities and the newly elected, who have to reflect on how to win greater trust from voters.
It is unfortunate that the computer meltdown on Sunday night disrupted voting, fuelled criticism and then speculation.
The failure, officials said, was apparently not the result of a malicious attack. That raised questions over whether the authorities had been unprepared or too complacent on issues related to system reliability. The incident must be seriously investigated and lessons learned.
Nothing is too trivial when it comes to livelihoods. The public rightly expects more from district councils. The onus is now on the government and the new members to show that the revamp truly opens a new and better chapter for Hong Kong.
