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Hong Kong
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LettersDepoliticising Hong Kong’s district councils will return them to their original purpose of serving the community

  • Readers discuss the government’s move to ensure district offices are run by patriots and using road markings to clarify driver confusion

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Supporters of reform for Hong Kong’s electoral system hold up the national flag at a demonstration in Tamar Park on March 30, 2021. The overdue reform of the district councils will ensure they are in good hands. Photo: Winson Wong
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Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has announced that a government review of the district council system has entered its final stage, and that these councils’ functions and composition would be depoliticised (“District councils to comprise only patriots, Lee says”, April 26).

I endorse Lee’s leadership in reforming the district councils.

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The district councils are a consultative body and not a political organisation with governing power, according to Article 97 of the Basic Law. Therefore, depoliticising the district councils is essential to enable patriotic and dedicated individuals to participate in the council’s work, to better fulfil the councils’ intended purpose of improving livelihoods, resolving local disputes, and serving as a communication bridge between the government and the public.

As someone who has been involved in district work for over 10 years, I value district offices’ role in providing community services for residents. But in the heat of the 2019 riots, many veteran district councillors lost their seats in the election that year, and district councils were turned into a political platform to incite subversion. This seriously affected the provision of community services.
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District councils must now be returned to their original legislative purpose under the Basic Law.

The number of directly elected seats should not be used as the criterion for measuring district councils’ representativeness. District councillors, whether directly elected, appointed, or indirectly elected, should not use their office to spread messages of hatred towards the country or the government.

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