Get rid of political swamp Focus on economy and livelihood
Receiving vaccination and navigating through the epidemic
21 March 2021
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CS visited the CVCs in Tuen Mun and Sham Shui Po (March 16, 2021) |
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CS gave recognition to staff members working in the CTO (March 18, 2021) |
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Shortly after the adoption of the Decision of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Improving the Electoral System of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) (the Decision), the Central Government held 66 forums in Hong Kong over three consecutive days last week followed by multiple visits and interviews to garner views from the HKSAR Government and representatives from various sectors of the community.
Staunch support for the Decision
Last Monday (March 15), I attended the forum hosted by Deputy Director Zhang Xiaoming of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council. On behalf of the HKSAR Government, I pledged staunch support for the Decision and full co-operation in drafting and implementing the local legislation. Serving the overall interests of Hong Kong in accord with our actual situation, the Decision provides a timely remedy for us to break the impasse by plugging the loopholes and gaping hole of our electoral system. Such improvements initiated at the national level help eliminate simmering risks and achieve "three guarantees": first, comprehensive implementation of the fundamental principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong"; second, political stability and security of the political regime in Hong Kong; and third, steadfast and successful implementation of "One Country, Two Systems" for Hong Kong's long-term stability and safety. The Central Government has taken the initiative to solicit opinions from a wider and deeper spectrum through intensive consultations. Such gravity and sincerity have shown how much the country cares about and values Hong Kong.
Enhancing governance through people-based executive and legislature
The improved electoral system will enable Hong Kong to entirely get rid of the long-troubled political swamp and create a stable social environment conducive to good governance. The Government could then focus on promoting economic development, improving people's livelihood and solving the knotty problems at root to address deep-seated social conflicts. I believe that there will be more positive interaction, sincere collaboration as well as mutual respect and understanding between the executive and the legislature, resulting in a sound, close and constructive working relationship that will function more effectively. Both sides will share the common goals of a "people-based" governance to drive Hong Kong forward.
Broad representation and balanced participation rather than democratic retrogression
The Decision is a manifestation of "broad representation" in elections. With the number of Election Committee members increased from 1 200 to 1 500 and the number of seats in the Legislative Council (LegCo) expanded by over 20% from 70 to 90, Hong Kong residents will have a much larger room for political engagement. This demonstrates how determined and committed the Central Government is to expanding the scope of democratic participation in Hong Kong's electoral system.
The Decision is also a manifestation of a "balanced participation" in political affairs. The improved structure will allow different strata, sectors and groups in the community to be fully represented in the HKSAR's governance structure, serving the diverse interests of all instead of the narrow interests of a few. This will not only safeguard the democratic rights of Hong Kong people, but also lead to a higher quality of democracy as well as higher effectiveness of governance in the HKSAR.
I would like to point out that the Decision to improve Hong Kong's electoral system is just a small incision. Not a single word or punctuation mark in Article 45 and Article 68 of the Basic Law, which stipulate the method for selecting the Chief Executive and forming the LegCo respectively, has been changed. The ultimate goals of these two Articles to achieve universal suffrage has undoubtedly remained the same.
To sum up, the adoption of the Decision is by no means a democratic retrogression.
Many of you may still recall the decision adopted by the Standing Committee of the NPC on 31 August 2014 which paved the way for universal suffrage election of Hong Kong's Chief Executive in 2017 and LegCo members in 2020. We would have achieved this already if not for the wilful obstruction of the opposition parties.
Epidemic: effective contact tracing for fitness centre cluster
While heading towards a more stabilised situation with COVID-19, Hong Kong saw a resurgence in cases owing to a cluster outbreak in a fitness centre. The outbreak has so far resulted in more than 140 confirmed cases, involving staff and patrons of the fitness centre as well as their close contacts. Highly concerned about the situation, the Government has rolled out a series of measures in a swift manner with a view to cutting the viral transmission chains as soon as possible.
In a few days' time, about 1 500 contacts were traced and those identified as close contacts were transferred to quarantine centres, while around 3 200 household contacts of these close contacts were also traced and requested to undergo compulsory testing. Thanks to the staff of the Contact Tracing Office (CTO) of the Centre for Health Protection, with their prompt action to speed up the process of identifying contacts, the CTO made notable achievements in contact tracing and accomplished the seemingly impossible task.
Last Thursday (March 18), I visited the CTO at Kai Tak Community Hall to learn about the latest progress of contact tracing and show support and recognition to the staff in the office. As far as the fitness centre cluster is concerned, the CTO identified an average of about 35 close contacts or household contacts for each confirmed case, much higher than the average of four contacts per case during the initial operation of the CTO. Such efforts have significantly helped in cutting the viral transmission chains.
Some 200 members from different disciplinary services, including the Hong Kong Police Force, the Immigration Department, the Customs and Excise Department and the Fire Services Department, are temporarily seconded to the contact tracing team to provide necessary manpower support. Thanks to their all-out efforts, the number of confirmed cases with unknown sources has largely remained at a single-digit level over the past two weeks, with only a single case recorded yesterday (March 20), proving the remarkable effectiveness of contact tracing.
A thousand odd people put under quarantine
Given the growing number of infected cases in the fitness centre cluster, the number of close contacts has also doubled. As a result, over 1 000 people are required to stay in quarantine centres or quarantine hotels for close contacts. Based on past experience and under the joint efforts of various departments, the vast majority of the close contacts were sent to quarantine centres or quarantine hotels within 24 hours after the issuance of quarantine orders.
As there are students, children and infants among those under quarantine, the number of whom is on the rise, we are very much aware of their special needs. Apart from putting parents and their young children in the same quarantine unit, a wide range of food and items such as small-sized refrigerators, cots, children's cutlery, toiletries and clothing, as well as colouring books, colouring pencils and toys are made available for children and infants at the quarantine centres. Parents may make other requests to the duty staff as necessary. The Department of Health (DH) and the Civil Aid Service will do their utmost to offer assistance in order to provide a comfortable and pleasant quarantine environment.
Expanding priority groups for vaccination in a gradual and orderly manner
For every anti-epidemic measure to be taken, be it enhanced contact tracing, compulsory quarantine, mandatory virus testing, "restriction-testing declaration" operation or social distancing measure, the support and co-operation of members of the public are always indispensable.
At a forum yesterday, Professor Zhong Nanshan of the Chinese Academy of Engineering commended Hong Kong for delineating restricted areas for mandatory testing which helped reduce the number of infections. Such open recognition is indeed a boost to our efforts in fighting the virus. It is important that we keep this momentum going.
Vaccination is a top priority in anti-epidemic strategies. The larger the number of people vaccinated, the greater the effectiveness of our anti-epidemic efforts. It will create a certain degree of protection or herd immunity in the community if the overall vaccine intake rate stands at a high level, allowing more room for relaxing some social distancing measures.
Based on scientific evidence and principles of openness and transparency
Ensuring that the COVID-19 vaccines meet the requirement of safety, efficacy and quality is the primary consideration of the Government when taking forward the vaccination programme. The Government has all along been implementing the programme based on scientific evidence and in adherence to the principles of openness and transparency, providing members of the public with the choice of vaccines from different technology platforms. Since the launch of the vaccination programme, the DH has put in place a pharmacovigilance system in accordance with World Health Organization's guidelines to continuously receive reports of Adverse Events Following Immunisations (AEFIs) related to the COVID-19 vaccines used in Hong Kong from healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical industries.
Meanwhile, the Government has established the Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment Following COVID-19 Immunisation for continuous monitoring of AEFIs associated with COVID-19 vaccinations and providing expert opinions and advice on the safety monitoring of authorised vaccines.
The vaccination priority groups have been expanded to cover people aged between 30 and 59, students aged 16 or above studying outside Hong Kong and domestic helpers. The groups now consist of 14 categories and cover over 5.5 million people, accounting for over 80% of the population aged 16 (the current minimum age for vaccination) or above.
Last Tuesday (March 16), I visited the Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs) at Yau Oi Sports Centre in Tuen Mun and Lai Chi Kok Park Sports Centre in Sham Shui Po to show support to the healthcare workers, staff members and government colleagues, and thank them for the smooth running of the centres. I also exchanged a few words with several citizens attending the centre. They showed confidence in the vaccine and were satisfied with the vaccination arrangement, agreeing that their families and friends should all go for the vaccination.
Government colleagues giving full support to vaccination centres
Colleagues from various departments are actively working together, flexibly deploying resources and swiftly responding to changes. Every one of them is playing a vital part in the anti-epidemic work. Their efforts and dedication are deeply appreciated.
As at March 16, a total of 27 CVCs are operating in all 18 districts across the territory. Over 30 bureaux and departments have deployed nearly 1 200 serving civil servants to provide administrative support at the vaccination centres. Staff rotation is in place to ensure uninterrupted support for the centres to deliver a smooth vaccination process so as to make the vaccination experience as easy and stress-free as possible for the public. I firmly believe that the concerted efforts of our colleagues will help us win the battle against the epidemic.
