Opinion | HK needs vocal opposition in Legco

With the Legislative Council election on September 9 fast approaching, campaign activities have moved into high gear as candidates pull out all the stops to garner public support.

To the majority of voters, the election seems to lack a single overarching theme. However, the latest opinion polls indicate that, despite this, voter turnout is expected to hit an all-time high.

Of course, opinion polls are not always dependable; some may be politically motivated or biased. Meanwhile, we are more likely to see different strategies of vote-rigging this year and, thus, the so-called 6:4 golden ratio - that is, for every 10 ballots cast, six go to pan-democrats and four to the pro-establishment candidates - may not hold true in this election.

We have witnessed a number of Legco elections since the handover 15 years ago. So far, this ratio has held in the battle between the pan-democrats and the pro-establishment camp.

In geographical constituencies, the pan-democrats tend to have the upper hand, winning a lot more seats in Legco than their opposition. So even if the pro-establishment camp manages to grab the majority in the functional constituencies, the pan-democrats can still play a critical minority role in the legislature.

In our executive-led government, this power structure can serve as effective checks and balances. The pan-democrats may not have the power to make things happen, but at least they can block undesirable policies such as the controversial national security legislation. But, we seem to be facing a different scenario this time around.