The View | Inclusiveness might be more important than democracy in Hong Kong
‘For the first time since 1997, the Election Committee now has a real chance of picking the most appropriate candidate’
The pan-democrats’ coalition successfully captured an estimated 325 of the 1,200 seats on the 2017 Chief Executive Election Committee. This is 50 per cent more than their share five years ago. In terms of Hong Kong’s political development, it is an important milestone towards building public accountability in the political order.
In all past elections of the Chief Executive, the democratic opposition was politically irrelevant despite its considerable popular support. Its presence on the Chief Executive Election Committee was mere window-dressing.
For this reason, the coalition derided the political arrangement as a “small circle” election that was short on legitimacy because it failed to be accountable to a broader constituency, which they also dubbed “not genuine universal suffrage.”
But with its 325 seats, the coalition has approached a position of wielding effective power through exercising checks and balances in the politics of selecting the Chief Executive. It is now a power to be reckoned with.
It also represents a voice not only from the grassroots, but also from the learned and professional classes and those who will represent the future of Hong Kong’s higher value added service economy.
It is significant that these voters did not support candidates who stood for casting “blank votes” or radical positions. If this new force coalesces and is well led, it could eventually emerge as the new voice of democracy. And, unlike the old democratic forces, it comes from a part of the population who represent a growing share of Hong Kong’s future GDP.