Hong Kong’s future lies in the hands of its next delegates to China’s top legislature

Alice Wu says next week’s election of the representatives to the National People’s Congress is important because of the enormity of the task that awaits them – charting the city’s political road map after 2047

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Former legislator Tam Yiu-chung signs up on November 29 to run for a seat on the NPC, one of 36 allotted to the Hong Kong SAR. Photo: David Wong

Published: 10:03am, 10 Dec 2017Updated: 3:36pm, 10 Dec 2017

In just over a week, fewer than 2,000 voters will elect 36 Hong Kong deputies to the National People’s Congress, the highest organ of state power. But, in this city, it is one of the most underwhelming of elections.

This is because, in addition to the obvious fact that ordinary Hongkongers do not and cannot vote for their representatives, more often than not, the NPC-related news reports we see in Hong Kong cover the contentious issues between our city and Beijing. The specifics differ but they tell the same story: the “one country, two systems” is a formula for frustration.

Of course, we understand that the NPC is vested with the enormous power to change our reality on a whim. It can formulate and revise the country’s constitution, and enact and amend the laws of the state. It elects members of the Standing Committee, decides on questions of war and peace, and examines plans for national economic and social development. And, as we in Hong Kong well know, it also decides on the establishment of special administrative regions and the systems to be instituted there.

Chinese and Hong Kong flags are displayed in June this year, ahead of the 20th anniversary of the handover in Hong Kong. Photo: EPA

Among all deputies to the NPC, the ones hailing from the SAR play a unique role. Thanks to “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong deputies have to manoeuvre on the narrow plane where the two drastically different systems meet.

Theirs is the most challenging of political balancing acts: they have to communicate the views of Hong Kong people to Beijing on the one hand, and explain the central government’s positions to Hong Kong on the other.