Functionless seats
Functional constituency representatives in the Legislative Council have the worst voting record, the poorest attendance record and the public rate them as the least popular members of the legislature. Yet they occupy half the seats, have power to block resolutions raised by members who enjoy a popular mandate and, at the last election, almost half were returned to office in uncontested constituencies.
In theory, the purpose of functional constituency representatives is to provide more balanced representation in the legislature and to supply specialist input which, it is argued, would not be achieved by simply allowing the public to vote for all its members. In practice, the functional constituencies have become a home for those who participate least in the council's affairs and cannot even be bothered to engage in the minimal task of casting their votes. Time and again, Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, who supposedly represents the sports, performing arts, culture and media industries, is revealed to be the council's most absent member.
Yet he need not worry about being re-elected because there are no individual voters in his constituency, only representatives of organisations drawn from the kind of list that ensures the seat is not even contested.
David Li Kwok-po, who represents the finance industry, is also fortunate in not having had to fight an election among the small circle qualified to vote in his constituency. A survey by this newspaper revealed that Mr Li failed to participate in nine out of 10 votes in Legco.
His explanation for this is probably more revealing than intended as he said that he would definitely vote when it came to finance or banking matters but not on other subjects such as education or the environment. In other words, Mr Li views his role as a semi-detached member of the legislature, declining to take part in its general activities but prepared to be there for the special interests of the small circle who are allowed to vote for him. Chim Pui-chung, another council member relieved of having to face election, is more blatant in explaining his lack of participation. He said that 'I am only accountable to my voters ... there is no point in being involved' in matters that do not directly concern them. Mr Chim clearly did not listen to the pledge he gave to serve the people of Hong Kong, a pledge all legislators make before taking office.
Like turkeys who are hardly likely to vote for Christmas, functional constituency representatives are unlikely to vote for their own abolition. So it will be very hard to secure reform through Legco unless the government is genuinely committed to the introduction of universal franchise. But steps can be taken in this direction.
First, the administration needs to clearly affirm that 'one person, one vote' in Legco elections will be implemented within the next decade. Further delay will be a hard pill for democrats to swallow but a commitment to provide a fixed target for universal suffrage should help the pill go down. In the meantime, there is no excuse for perpetuating the split-voting system in Legco which allows functional constituency members to veto motions raised by their popularly elected counterparts. In theory, this works both ways but functional constituency members rarely propose any motions - they simply support the government.
Third, there is an urgent need to abolish the most rotten of the rotten boroughs that make up the functional constituency block. Seats reserved for the practically non-existent agricultural and fisheries sector, the all-powerful real estate and construction sector and the never-contested Heung Yee Kuk seat are prime examples of constituencies that need to go.
Fourth, there is a way of making the other constituencies more representative which, for example, involves giving the vote to the people who actually take part in the commercial world as opposed to current arrangements that confine voting to members of two organisations. And why not give everyone in the sports and media world a vote and allow everyone in the catering industry, not just catering company bosses, to vote?
These ideas are not original but the time has come for compromise, however uncomfortable, if universal suffrage is to be achieved.
Stephen Vines is a Hong Kong-based journalist and entrepreneur
