Opinion2.9 million Hongkongers have spoken. Will Carrie Lam and Beijing heed their call for political reform?

Hongkongers have won an opportunity to bring the change the city’s dysfunctional political system needs. Next, they must deal with their fear of the mainland system through non-violent means, like discussions on ‘one country, two systems’

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Published: 6:30am, 26 Nov 2019Updated: 7:30am, 26 Nov 2019

Winning an election on a tide of general anti-government sentiment is easy. Performing well in office will be harder. Not letting success go to one’s head might be harder still.

Nevertheless, the landslide victory of pro-democracy candidates in the district council elections sends a clear message that Hong Kong people want political reform. This must be heeded by both the Hong Kong administration and Beijing.

But no one should claim that the result justifies the violent protests of the past months or that there is support for continuing vandalism and the roughing up of people with different views. Violence will not get Hong Kong what it wants and could scupper the opportunity to bring the change people want.

The resounding mandate from the people of Hong Kong requires the new pool of councillors to get to work immediately on two fronts.

Firstly, with such a large number of new politicians, there is a good chance for a much better process of district-based engagement that can lead to better results for residents.

Engagement through district-wide dialogue makes sense in area-specific issues like urban planning and design, building management and retrofitting, energy and water saving, waste management and recycling, noise pollution, open spaces, and traffic. Improvement in these things can truly deliver a better quality of life.