Election earthquake shows the need to shake up Hong Kong politics

The political earthquake that rocked Hong Kong last week has claimed the political lives of four veteran lawmakers, and left at least four groups in a critical condition. It also midwifed the birth of 26 freshmen lawmakers. The shift in our political landscape is huge, and the aftershocks are not even close to being over.

It’s not going to be “business as usual” for the Legislative Council, and the quicker those in the seats of power in Tamar and Zhongnanhai come to terms with that, the better prepared they will be. But so far – at least from what we’ve heard about the floating of purportedly preferred candidates by the government and liaison office to fill the seat of Legco president – we know they have yet to grasp what they have just been hit with. Maybe it’s shock. Whatever it is, they’ll be jolted out of it soon enough.

The six localists will first exercise self-determination by categorically rejecting anyone preferred by those other than themselves, and especially those preferred by the chief executive or liaison office. And by doing so, the political show will not be confined to within the chamber.

The shock waves of “the six” reverberate beyond the Beijing connection. In addition to the unseating of four veterans, members of the traditional pan-democratic camp will struggle as they try to figure out how they will work alongside the localists.

Hong Kong Occupy co-founder concedes deficiencies in ‘ThunderGo’ strategic voting scheme

The foreshocks were present during the electioneering process and the subtle shifts in political lexicon proved to be significant. Benny Tai Yiu-ting’s ThunderGo campaign and the news media had changed the election into a battle between the pro-establishment and non-pro-establishment camps. Their fight for democracy is no longer enough of a rallying call.