Political situation
Written by: Zhou Haoyi
2021-03-26 07:00
Last update date: 2021-03-26 07:00
The central government has drastically revised the election system in Hong Kong, and the composition of the Legislative Council and the Chief Executive’s Election Committee is undergoing major changes. The Legislative Council will add election committee groups in addition to regional direct elections and functional constituencies, and the Election Committee will be re-divided into five major sectors. , The final plan is yet to be unveiled by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.
In an exclusive interview with "Hong Kong 01", member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions, Huang Guo said that Hong Kong residents living in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area lack public opinion representatives in the parliament. He suggested that more seats in the Greater Bay Area be established in the Election Committee and the Legislative Council.
Huang Guo also suggested that if the electoral committee will occupy 40 seats in the Legislative Council in the future, the relevant seats can be divided equally among the 5 major sectors of the electoral committee, with 8 seats from each sector, so as to ensure that representatives of the grassroots labor sector will be included in the Chamber. Reflecting the principle of balanced participation, "Purely (the Election Committee) 1,500 people will be selected, I think our labor class will not be dominant, and the election may not necessarily be ours."
Huang Guo: 210,000 people in the Legislative Council with 1 seat and 500,000 Hong Kong people in the Greater Bay Area should have at least 1 representative
Huang Guo pointed out that the central government and the SAR government are vigorously promoting the integration and development of the Greater Bay Area. However, there are still inconsistencies in the medical and tax systems between Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. For example, Hong Kong’s medical benefits cannot be used in the Mainland at present. People are forced to return to Hong Kong for treatment. If their parents settle in the Greater Bay Area, their children in Hong Kong will not be entitled to the tax allowance for dependent parents.
Huang Guo said that the society pays little attention to Hong Kong people living in the Greater Bay Area. The government "actively does not intervene", which is like letting Hong Kong people living in the Greater Bay Area "self-management". Therefore, he believes that the election committee and the Legislative Council need to establish a large bay area. District representative, safeguarding the rights and interests of Hong Kong people living in the Greater Bay Area.
He pointed out that at present, about 210,000 people in the Legislative Council elect one seat, and there are about 500,000 Hong Kong people living in the Greater Bay Area, and there should be at least one representative.
Threatened to contend for seats in the election committee of the Legislative Council to advocate 8 seats in each of the 5 sectors
Political circles have different proposals on the composition of the Legislative Council, and the "333", "432" and "522" proposals have their own supporters.
Huang Guo said that the distribution of seats in the three major groups of the Legislative Council is not the most important. The most important thing is the proportion of workers at the grassroots level.
He described the central government’s reform of Hong Kong’s electoral system as a "big pie." The FTU will strive to win more seats. In addition to direct elections and functional constituencies, it also hopes to occupy a seat in the electoral committee.
He pointed out that the reformed electoral system should reflect balanced participation, and each class has its own merits. It is recommended that the seats of the Legislative Council Election Committee be divided into different sectors of the Election Committee proportionally.
He said that assuming that the central government finally adopts the "432" plan, the electoral committee sector accounts for 40 seats in the Legislative Council. If the electoral committee is divided equally among the 5 sectors, each sector can have 8 seats, allowing the third sector to be included. The labor sector and the grassroots sector can also be allocated seats to ensure that all sectors participate in a balanced manner. "If only (the Election Committee) 1,500 people are selected, I don’t think our working class will be dominant. The election may not necessarily be I."
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Approval of the government's emphasis on the business sector is expected to adjust in the future
The establishment has always held a majority in parliament in the past, but it has not always succeeded in fighting for policies. For example, the temporary unemployment assistance funded by political parties such as the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong and the Federation of Trade Unions has been repeatedly rejected by the government.
Huang Guo believes that one of the reasons lies in the government's emphasis on the business sector and hopes that there will be a new scene after the election reform. "The central government has a clear mind on Hong Kong. Hong Kong's future policies must take into account the interests of all classes, not just biased towards the business sector. The business sector has previously influenced it. It’s too strong to dominate Hong Kong’s politics, economy, and society’s livelihood."
He gave an example. The government spent 90 billion yuan in public funds to implement the "Protecting Employment" program, using more than 10 billion yuan to save Cathay Pacific and Ocean Park, but it was unwilling to spend 15 billion yuan to introduce emergency unemployment assistance, which made the "wage earners" very serious. Dissatisfaction, expecting that the government's policy is biased towards the business sector, and there will be adjustments in the future.
The central government took the initiative to revise Hong Kong’s electoral system. Some people think that Hong Kong’s democracy is retrogressive. Huang Guo said that political democratization cannot be equated with improving people’s livelihood. "The more democratized, the more turbulent and unstable society becomes. It's pure dispute." He believes that the public should break the myth that an increase in the proportion of direct elections will help improve people's livelihood, emphasizing that any electoral system is only a means, and the ultimate goal is to solve social and people's livelihood problems, so that the people can live and work in peace.
He believes that after the electoral reform, the political disputes in the parliament will be calmed down, and members can focus on doing practical things, but at the same time, the public will have higher demands on the establishment, and the establishment must provide targeted and effective suggestions.
He described the political party’s appeals as "writing checks." The successful implementation of the appeals is the "cashing of checks." The establishment must "do it well" and not "get a word."
The Federation of Trade Unions proposes the "New Era and New Labour Movement" programme to expand services in the Greater Bay Area
The Federation of Trade Unions recently proposed a new program of "New Era and New Labour Movement". Huang Guo said that the Federation of Trade Unions will improve services in response to the changes in the new era, such as considering the establishment of e-sports unions and app delivery staff unions.
In the Greater Bay Area, the Federation of Trade Unions will strengthen and expand services, such as adding services for the elderly; striving for "Hong Kong people and Hong Kong medicines", purchasing Mainland medical insurance with medical vouchers, using Hong Kong medical benefits in tertiary hospitals in the Mainland, and organizing the Youth Bay District internship program, etc.
Set up a specialist medical center for white-collar workers to strengthen professional training courses
Huang Guo continued to point out that in addition to providing medical services for grassroots workers, the Federation of Trade Unions plans to extend services to civilian white-collar workers and set up specialist medical centers. "French hospital services are offered at a 35% discount."
In addition, the Federation of Trade Unions will improve professional training courses, correct the past academic model, strengthen the practicality of the courses, and help "wage earners" cope with the changes of the times.
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Legislative Council of the Federation of Trade Unions
