Improvements to electoral system lay foundation for good governance
18 September 2021
I visited the REO last Tuesday to hear an update about the preparatory work for the upcoming elections. New measures, including electronic distribution of ballot papers and setting up of special queues for voters in need, are in place to streamline and better safeguard the voting process.
The 2021 Election Committee (EC) Subsector Ordinary Elections are taking place tomorrow (September 19). Enormous efforts have been made by the Government to ensure that these very important elections will be held successfully in a fair, impartial and clean manner. After visiting the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) four days ago to hear an update about the preparatory work, I went to the central counting station and polling station at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) in Wan Chai today to oversee the preparations and arrangements for polling and counting. It was heartening indeed to see the staff there working full steam ahead in the run-up to the elections. As a token of support for their hard work, I offered them encouragement and recognition right away. For the upcoming elections, new measures, including electronic distribution of ballot papers and setting up of special queues for voters in need, are in place to streamline and better safeguard the voting process. Being the first election held under the improved electoral system, the EC election bears unique significance as it represents a major step in our implementation of the “patriots administering Hong Kong” principle.
I went to the central counting station and polling station at the HKCEC in Wan Chai today to oversee the preparations and arrangements for polling and counting, and show support to the staff there.
Importance of the EC
The EC is the core element of our electoral revamp. To achieve broader representation and balanced participation, we have reconstituted the EC by increasing the number of sectors from four to five and the number of members from 1 200 to 1 500 with the addition of new subsectors, such as Small and Medium Enterprises, Grassroots Associations and Associations of Chinese Fellow Townsmen. Representatives of relevant national organisations have also been added to strengthen the national elements. The admission of more talented people from various sectors to the EC is conducive to the future development of Hong Kong. As the new composition has gone beyond the vested interests of specific groups and sectors, it will provide a stronger safeguard for the overall interests of our society.
The EC to be formed will be given new functions to return 40 members of the Legislative Council (LegCo) and nominate candidates for the LegCo election. In addition to being a vigilant gatekeeper to ensure that only patriots are nominated as candidates, it will also perform the vital role of returning almost 45 percent of members of the LegCo.
Solid foundation for progressing from order to prosperity
Since our return to the Motherland, reactionary elements have deliberately incited conflicts between Hong Kong and the Mainland through a string of events from the opposition to legislating Article 23 of the Basic Law, the objection to national education, to the illegal occupation in Central, the Mong Kok riots and the “black-clad violence” in 2019. Not only have they challenged the authority of the Central Government and the bottom line of “One Country, Two Systems”, but they have also undermined the interests of the country and Hong Kong. By exploiting the loopholes in the former electoral system, they colluded with foreign forces and willingly acted as foreign proxies in an attempt to paralyse the LegCo, thwart the policies of the Government and impede the successful implementation of “One Country, Two Systems”. Worse still, they intended to bring “mutual destruction” to Hong Kong by dragging this city off the cliff into an abyss with them.
The improvements to the electoral system should put an end to the previous chaos and political turmoil in Hong Kong, bringing the LegCo back to rationality and reshaping the landscape of good governance. While the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR has halted chaos and restored order in Hong Kong, the improvements to the electoral system should help establish an institutional foundation crucial to Hong Kong’s progress from order to prosperity. These, coupled with boundless opportunities presented by the National 14th Five-Year Plan, the Greater Bay Area development and the Qianhai Plan, will put Hong Kong in a better position to integrate into the overall development of the country, and this city will once again soar on new wings and showcase the glamour of the “Pearl of the Orient”.
