The seventh general election of the Hong Kong Legislative Council was held on the last Sunday (December 19). The voter turnout rate in direct elections was only 30%. The DAB, which sent members from all ten districts, won across the board, and none of the non-establishment parties were elected.
But in any case, taking into account the functional constituencies and the electoral committee sector, a large number of unprecedented new faces have appeared in the three sections, and nearly half of the people have never appeared in the Chamber of the Legislative Council.
Although these "experiences" may not have been active in front of the scene before, they all have different professional backgrounds and have been working quietly in their fields. It is hoped that they can look at various economic and social issues in a relatively pragmatic manner.
Compared with some senior politicians who are accustomed to showing off political performances and slogans, their entry into the Legislative Council should enhance the effectiveness and constructiveness of the entire Council.
There is competition for seats in all sectors in the Legislative Council election, and no one can be elected automatically.
As the director of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Xia Baolong pointed out earlier, this election is the first time since the reunification that "there is competition among regions, and there are elections for all sectors."
Even the functional constituencies, such as the Heung Yee Kuk, the business sector, and the import and export sectors, have been elected or re-elected for many years without competitors, and without exception, many people have been nominated for election.
In the past, the voices criticizing the Hong Kong parliament as "small circle elections" always emphasized the lack of contact between automatically elected members and their representative sectors or the general public. This has not happened again in this election, and every candidate needs to personally seek support. , It is impossible to ignore the wishes of voters in the corresponding group.
There is competition for seats in all sectors in this Legislative Council election, and no one can be elected automatically.
(Reuters)
Pragmatic politics is developing
In fact, judging from the performance during the election campaign, the discussions of the legislative councillors-designate on actual policies are indeed much more ineffective than in the past.
In particular, members of the Election Committee sector who have been questioned by outsiders for underrepresentation have a large number and diverse backgrounds, so it is difficult to simply divide them according to the background of each other’s political parties or organizations; besides, due to fairness and time constraints, the election forum does not have It is possible to arrange for the candidates of the Election Committee to debate each other, and they can only randomly select key topics for their respective expressions.
Since there is less interference from opponents or opportunities to criticize others, all they can rely on are their own abilities and insights.
After undergoing this kind of election baptism, the relevant legislators definitely need to respond more positively to social concerns, and voters will be able to recognize their political platforms and promises more clearly.
Of course, we must also realize that this Legislative Council election is not without politicization disputes.
For example, in a few regional election forums, some candidates still attacked other people’s political connections tit-for-tatly, or deliberately or unintentionally hyped political issues left over from the anti-regulation movement, and refused to return the focus of discussion to economics, Livelihood affairs.
They seem to have misjudged that this election is still the same as in the past. It belongs to all voters in Hong Kong to declare their political stand every few years. They did not realize that its significance had changed greatly after several major political events.
Fortunately, these examples are in the minority after all. Many candidates still seem to know in-depth reflection on the deep-seated contradictions that exist in Hong Kong society, and actively try to put forward their own opinions, rather than their persistent political spectrum to provoke unnecessary disputes at both ends.
In the past, Hong Kong elections and parliament were too dominated by the opposition of the political dimension, but what the citizens need more is the discussion on the economic and social dimensions.
The situation of chanting "true universal suffrage" and "democracy" as in the past, or the party criticizing the "opposition" and "royalists" in different places, is completely helpless to cope with the various pressing problems facing Hong Kong society, including the serious disparity between the rich and the poor. , Tight land supply, shortage of housing, high building prices, slow integration into the country and stagnant industrial development, etc.
The current difficulties that hinder local people’s livelihood and development have all been shared by the new term of parliament. If they want to become competent representatives, they must try to recognize and solve these problems, and strive to improve the quality of life and environmental treatment of the general public. Hong Kong achieves economic fairness and social justice.
In the past, Hong Kong elections and parliament were too dominated by the opposition of the political dimension, but what the citizens need more is the discussion on the economic and social dimensions.
(Reuters)
Indifferent elections heralds challenges ahead
However, there is no denying that the atmosphere of this Legislative Council election is relatively weak, and the pre-election polls of various agencies have shown that the proportion of voters who intend to vote is not high.
Although the number of registered voters this year has actually increased slightly compared to last year, the SAR government and all sectors of the community have also introduced a number of measures to encourage citizens to vote. However, the voter turnout rate in direct elections is only 30.2%, which is far lower than the previous election. 58.28% of the total.
The reason for this sluggish turnout is that the spread of the variant new crown virus and the aftermath of past political and social events must have a considerable impact, including lack of trust in the new election system, unaccustomedness, and even disapproval of changes in the election system. But another important reason is that a large number of voters have not found their favorite candidates in this election, and they do not even think that the Legislative Council can improve Hong Kong's economic development and people's livelihood.
For the new legislators, this phenomenon has to be said to be a big challenge to their way forward.
On the one hand, the emergence of "familiar people" among the candidates for this term of the Legislative Council is certainly expected to bring a new atmosphere into the parliament; on the other hand, it also means that they lack the existing reputation and track record. It is difficult to fully understand and judge whether or not to vote. In addition, the political climate has indeed undergone drastic changes in the past two years. The citizens have hesitated to vote for various reasons. This is objectively reasonable and understandable.
Can the voter turnout rate in a parliamentary election reflect the trust of voters in the government or system?
The answer to this question may be that each individual says that there is a positive relationship between it and the quality of the candidates. I believe no one can deny it.
Using a movie as a metaphor, if the overall ticket sales response or admission rate is not satisfactory a few days before the release, the central factors may include the organizer’s propaganda strategy error, the audience may not notice the movie’s viewing ability, etc., but it will ultimately affect the box office. The biggest factor is the quality of the whole movie.
The popularity of movies can be found in one or two days, and word-of-mouth will be fermented in one or two days. The box office of many movies is also low and high. However, the Legislative Council cannot be accepted by the public based on publicity alone. What it needs is members of the law. The performance in the Legislative Council is outstanding, and this is a long-term work.
With the successful birth of the new Legislative Council members, we earnestly hope that they will take up this responsibility and earnestly promote good governance and good governance in Hong Kong.
(Reuters)
Rational discussion of politics promotes good governance and good governance
The current Legislative Council election failed to gain more attention and discussion from the community. Firstly, the candidates’ political platforms failed to arouse the interest of voters. But more importantly, everyone needs to continue to observe and understand over time to be able to determine whether the reform can be implemented. It is the right time to settle accounts to improve the quality of the Legislative Council's discussion of politics.
Under these conditions, it is even more necessary for the new group of elected parliamentarians to show specific results to prove that they are worthy of voter support, and to consolidate the public's confidence in the organization of the parliament and the electoral system.
In any case, the successful conclusion of the two election committee subsector elections and the general election of the Legislative Council has shown that the new and perfect electoral system has been able to operate smoothly in Hong Kong.
However, it is impossible to restore the benign interaction between the local administration and legislation, and restore the trust relationship between the central government and Hong Kong society.
Especially at the moment when the "50 years of unchanged" will usher in half, in order to ensure the stability and long-term development of the "One Country, Two Systems" cause and promote the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, the responsibilities of the new Legislative Council members elected at this time are naturally more important.
Even if their subsequent performance in the parliament will affect Hong Kong's future in the second half of the "50 years of unchanged", I am afraid it is not an exaggeration.
With the successful birth of the new Legislative Council members, we earnestly hope that they will take up this responsibility and earnestly promote good governance and good governance in Hong Kong.
We look forward to those social elites who are running for the election this time, and we expect them to give full play to their professional domain knowledge and put forward excellent policy recommendations.
For those senior politicians who were more persistent in party or line division, we call on them to abandon their prejudices, return their focus to their duties as representatives, and actively coordinate to resolve the polar opposition.
As for those young newcomers who have relatively light qualifications but are dedicated to serving the community, we also hope that they can join the parliament to accumulate experience and build a more solid foundation for their continued contributions to Hong Kong in the future.
I believe that as long as the 90 new MPs can show their strengths and work together, they will surely bring a new look to the parliament.
Please pay attention to the 296th "Hong Kong 01" weekly electronic report published on December 20, 2021. You can also
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