Find the courage to listen to the public
Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has attended two public meetings to discuss the controversial dismantling of Queen's Pier. The forums, chaotic at times, pushed the debate to a climax.
I applaud Mrs Lam for having the courage to engage the masses, and hope that she will continue to do so in future. But, such dialogue should take place before a final decision is made.
Principal officials are responsible for policies that have an impact on the lives of the public. Thus, they have a duty to listen to the voices of the people. Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen has asked his top officials to connect with the people and take their views into account when formulating policies. So far, only Mrs Lam has done so.
When Mr Tsang stood for re-election, he said he would find an 'ultimate solution' to the question of electing the chief executive and all members of the Legislative Council by universal suffrage in his second term.
Last month, the administration published a green paper on political development, setting out disjointed options on how and when to have universal suffrage. The document contains no coherent proposals, only suggestions which could be assembled in a myriad of ways.
This kind of consultation is unsatisfactory, because it gives the impression that the administration does not really want to know what the public thinks.
On July 22, Power for Democracy, of which I am a deputy convenor, held a public forum in the Mong Kok pedestrian precinct to discuss the green paper. We invited Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam Sui-lung to attend.
He turned down the request, and sent an administrative officer to take notes. At the Legco constitutional affairs panel meeting on July 25, I told Mr Lam it was regrettable that he had not followed Mrs Lam's example to engage the masses. Having seen Mrs Lam perform at the public forums, I hope that other principal officials will find the courage to engage the people and listen to their concerns.
After publishing the green paper, all Mr Lam did to promote discussion was attend two Legco panel meetings and some district council meetings. Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen, who is in charge of the consultation, has yet to make any public appearances to engage the masses or Legco.
However, a seminar was organised by the Hong Kong Development Forum, a group set up by Ronnie Chan Chi-chung, chairman of the Hang Lung Group. It was held on July 26 at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, and several hundred people attended. Politicians from the pro-Beijing and pro-democracy camps were invited as speakers. It is quite rare to see a debate between the two sides, as pro-Beijing politicians rarely attend such forums, let alone join the debate.
Thus, it was surprising that Tsang Yok-sing, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, and former security chief Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee agreed to attend. As a result, I invited them to forums to be organised by pan-democrats, and they said they would consider attending.
As Tsang Yok-sing rightly said, the problem of universal suffrage has plagued Hong Kong for several decades, and should be resolved. Senior officials need to engage the masses and listen to their aspirations.
I know some people believe that Beijing will not allow democratic elections in Hong Kong because it fears losing control. We need to show that the people will elect a government that loves Hong Kong and loves China as a whole.
We want to remind Beijing that it made a promise in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law to give people the right to elect their government by universal suffrage. Everyone is watching to see if that promise will be kept.
Emily Lau Wai-hing is a legislative councillor for The Frontier
