In the new era, what is the way out for the old panminists?

Hong Kong ushered in the first Legislative Council election after the central government took the initiative to improve its electoral system. The number of seats increased from 70 to 90. The channel for elections has also changed from direct regional elections and functional constituencies in the past, with another 40 elections. The committee sector seats have become the largest source of seats in the Chamber.

Both "Democratic Development of Hong Kong under "One Country, Two Systems"" and Director Xia Baolong of the State Council’s Australia Office pointed out that the new election system demonstrates balanced participation and the diverse backgrounds of candidates have brought the election back to healthy competition.

However, most of the pan citizens chose to "lie flat" and absent from the election, apparently they have not yet returned to their status.

In fact, the evolution of Hong Kong's political system over the years has nothing to do with the awakening of the moderate Democrats and pragmatic politicians.

More than two decades after the reunification, Hong Kong's electoral system has undergone changes from time to time.

In 1998, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region held the first Legislative Council election. Among the 60 seats, functional constituencies accounted for 30 seats, regional direct elections accounted for 20 seats, and the election committee accounted for 10 seats.

In the second election in 2000, in addition to the fact that the functional constituency accounted for 30 seats, the regional direct elections rose to 24 seats, and the Election Committee reduced to only 6 seats.

Under the consensus of the democrats and the SAR government at that time, the third election in 2004 completely abolished the seats of the Election Committee, allowing all 6 seats to be allocated to directly elected seats in the district.

Until 2010, the moderate Democrats put forward the proposal of "universal suffrage of district council representatives," and the central government gave the green light to pass the political reform proposal.

This is a historic moment eleven years ago, and it is also a precious achievement that the Hong Kong democratic camp has won back through a pragmatic and not forgetting attitude towards the country.

In 2012 and after the anti-state religion movement, unprecedented radicals appeared in the pan-democratic camp, and radical populist voices gradually raised their heads, robbing the direction of the democratic movement.

Regrettably, the radical forces took the opportunity to attack the Democratic Party to strengthen their own strength. The democratic camp was heavily involved in populist forces. The traditional pan-democrats reluctantly fell into this extreme trap to protect the election seats. The distance is getting farther and farther, and at the same time, it seems that the original intention of serving the public has been forgotten. People's livelihood projects are often politicized.

Whether it is the social tearing brought about by the "Occupy Central" in 2014, the violent and brave parties indirectly instigated by the "Mong Kok Incident" in 2016, or the turmoil that emerged in 2019, these disturbances are certainly over, but It also makes most pan-democrats embark on a political path of no return; the deep-rooted so-called "moral cleanliness" and excessive reliance on polls have caused the traditional pan-democratic parties today to lack the ability to mobilize for election to the Legislative Council. .

+1

What should the traditional pan-people do in the future so that they can continue to serve Hong Kong and the country?

When the new non-organizational voices are springing up like mushrooms, is there a way out for the pan-people who have experienced the ups and downs?

Shi Zhongjian,

a group of

post-90s

who are

hopeful

about Hong Kong’s future, believe that Hong Kong must fundamentally improve its governance in order to maintain its unique position in global politics and the rise of China, and put "One Country, Two Systems" back on track.

For details, please read the 296th "Hong Kong 01" Electronic Weekly Newsletter (December 20, 2021) "

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