01 Investigation
Written by: Li Yinglin, Chen Xinxi
2020-08-17 07:30
Last update date: 2020-08-17 07:30The government announced the list of the new district committees in July, breaking the convention, and the current district councilors were not appointed. "Hong Kong 01" statistics found that a total of 112 on the list were defeated in the district election last year, a nearly four-fold increase from the previous term, and 71 of them were former district councillors who failed to re-elect. In Tuen Mun, Yau Tsim Mong, Kwun Tong and other six districts, 6 to 11 former district councillors were appointed, all of which belonged to the political group.
The Chief Home Affairs Department stated that the appointment was based on the principle of "employing people on the basis of merit", but it did not respond directly to the reason why the current district councillors were not appointed. Ma Yue, associate professor of the Department of Politics and Administration at CUHK, believes that the government appoints a large number of unsuccessful candidates to give them a "consolation prize", but points out that if the government strengthens cooperation with it in the future, the district council may have the opportunity to raise the district board.
112 people were appointed as district members after losing the district election, including 66 former district members
The term of the new district committees was originally scheduled to begin in April this year, but the Home Affairs Department said that the epidemic has delayed the appointments and finally announced the name list in late July nearly four months later. Except for the Tai Po and North Districts, which do not have district meetings, the remaining 16 districts in Hong Kong have a total of 1,395 members this year, which is 202 fewer than the previous term, and the establishment is reduced by 12.6% (see the table below).
In the past, when the establishment had occupied the majority of seats in district boards, the Home Affairs Department would appoint district board members to become district board members. This situation has almost become the norm in all districts. According to data from the 2016/18 and 2018/20 sessions, most of the district councillors in the 16 districts served concurrently as area committee members, with the exception of the Yuen Long and Sai Kung districts. The former had more district councilors without concurrent appointments, and the latter was completely absent.
The department broke the convention this year and did not appoint any current district councillors to join the district meetings. However, "Hong Kong 01" analyzed the background of current members and found that 112 people were losers in the district council election last year. The number was nearly four times that of the previous 23 people's congress, and 71 of them were former district members who failed to re-elect; Except for 5 people who reported independence or no political ties, the remaining 66 people belonged to a political group.
More than half of the 66 appointed former district councilors of the establishment are members of the DAB, including several former district council chairmen and vice-chairmen of the establishment (see separate draft).
Eleven former district councillors in Tuen Mun appointed all belong to the formed political group
Based on the 112 appointed unsuccessful candidates (see the list of districts below), Eastern District will account for the largest number of people, with 15 people; followed by Yau Tsim Mong, Yuen Long and Sha Tin, each with 13 people; and Tun Tun There were 11 people in Mun and Saigon each. Among the 16 districts, only the un-elected in the Southern District and Kowloon City unappointed districts are the district committee members.
The 71 appointed former district councilors are distributed in the 13 central districts, among which 6 districts are Tuen Mun, Yau Tsim Mong, Kwun Tong, Sha Tin, Eastern District, and Sai Kung. 6 to 11 former district councilors have been appointed, all of them belong to Organized political group; 11 former district councillors in Yuen Long District have been appointed, of which 8 belong to an organized society, and the other 3 claim to be independent.
In addition, 67 districts will be set up under the 16 district conferences in Hong Kong this year, which is an increase of four compared with the previous two conferences. Among them, Kwun Tong and Kowloon City each added one, namely "Kwun Tong and Kowloon Bay Commerce" and "Kai Tak" zones; Sha Tin District was also rezoned, increasing from four zones to six.
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The Home Affairs Department postponed it for nearly four months, and finally the new district committee list last month, but all the current district councillors were not appointed. (Information Picture/Photo by Zheng Rongdi)
Home Affairs Department: employing talents based on merit, considering talents and other factors
"Hong Kong 01" inquired with the Home Affairs Department that the current district councillors were not appointed as district members, but the reasons for the appointment of a large number of district members who were unsuccessful, and whether the department’s appointment criteria were changed.
A spokesperson for the department said that according to the existing mechanism, the government’s principle of appointing zone committees is to "employ people on the basis of talents" and consider a number of factors, including talents, expertise, experience, integrity and enthusiasm for participating in serving the community, as well as taking full account of the functions of zone committees. And the nature of work. However, the Department did not respond to the reasons for the lack of appointment of current members and the reduction in the establishment of district committees.
The spokesman continued that the Department will recruit suitable people who work or live in various districts and who are interested in serving the community from different channels, such as local people, mutual aid committees, and owners' committee members.
Regarding the increase in the number of districts under the district committees, the Department stated that the demarcation review of the district committees will be completed in early 2020 and the demarcation of the district committees including Kowloon City District, Kwun Tong District and Sha Tin District will be straightened out based on the results of the review.
Area committees will organize activities in Bingshu District and apply for funding from the District Council. (Central and Western District Information Network)
District councils funded by district councils
The area committees were established in 1972, about 10 years earlier than the district councils. The original purpose of its establishment was to promote citizens' participation in the campaign to clean up Hong Kong and fight violent crimes. According to the introduction of the Home Affairs Department, the district committees currently have five powers, including promoting public participation in district affairs, providing opinions on community issues, assisting in organizing community participation activities, and implementing government-sponsored programs.
The district councils receive funding from the district councils to organize fun fairs, carnivals, sports competitions and cultural and artistic activities. The district councils reserve funds for the district councils every financial year. During the last term of the District Council, the Yau Tsim Mong District Council received the largest amount of funds set aside, with a total of nearly 5.3 million in four years, followed by Kwun Tong and Wong Tai Sin, with about 4.74 million and 3.3 million respectively.
However, the current multi-district councils were dissatisfied with the government’s use of reserve funds to fight the epidemic as a reason to cut the district council funding, and pointed out that the district committees appointed by the Home Affairs Department stand for a pro-organizational system. Therefore, the district council passed a suspension of funding for Partition meeting.
The Home Affairs Department has appointed more than a hundred unsuccessful candidates from the district council election system to become the new district committee members. The number has increased nearly four times compared with the previous term. (Profile picture / Photo by Luo Junhao)
Ma Yue: If the government strengthens cooperation or empties district councils
Ma Yue, associate professor of the Department of Politics and Administration at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, believes that the establishment of the district council elections failed miserably in November last year, and the government "has to find a way to make up for the failure of the establishment", and the district committees are for good relations with the government. "Consolation Prize" for political parties and individuals.
He pointed out that the "consolation prize" does not necessarily have to be a large public office, but if the government "a lot of people will clamp the district and do it" in the future, it will have the opportunity to raise the district board, "it is a big crisis, and it will also make district committee members. More exposure."
After the district election, society focused on the general election of the Legislative Council, but the government postponed it for one year on the grounds of the epidemic. Ma Yue believes that the appointment arrangement of the district councils has little effect on the election of the Legislative Council. Because the legislative council has a large constituency and the popularity of district members is low, the district members are less known, so it may not affect the election of the establishment.
The new district will have four more districts than the previous one, including the Kai Tak district in Kowloon City District. (Profile picture / Photo by Luo Junhao)
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