OpinionElections in the aftermath of coronavirus: how Hong Kong’s blue and yellow camps should alter their strategies

Both opposition pan-democrat and pro-establishment parties cannot afford to ignore the crippling impact of the coronavirus pandemic, protests and trade war on the economy and how this will influence voter behaviour in the Legco election

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A woman wearing a mask walks past the shutters of a shop plastered with ads for discounted products in Tsim Sha Tsui on March 18. Small businesses in Hong Kong are struggling to survive as people stay home during the coronavirus outbreak. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 4:30pm, 22 Mar 2020Updated: 2:01pm, 13 May 2020

Hong Kong has been seriously damaged by the events of the past 12 months, and its people have been badly hurt, too. The most urgent need now is for us to heal – our economy, our political fabric, our community.

That most Hongkongers instinctively understand this will have a significant bearing on the outcome of the upcoming Legislative Council election. How should the “blue” and “yellow” camps position themselves to secure maximum public support at the ballot box?

Let’s look first at the economy. There have been three hammer blows: the political disturbances, the US-China trade war and the coronavirus pandemic. The first is temporarily dormant but could flare up again at any time, the negative impacts of the second are still working their way through supply chains, and the third has now put the entire global economy in a tailspin.

There is a serious danger in the short term of a global economic recession. Governments worldwide are rolling out massive public spending packages to try to minimise the damage.

People eat in a restaurant as Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po delivers his 2020-2021 budget at the Legislative Council on February 26, announcing a slew of measures to help struggling small businesses. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Nobody knows for sure when the medical experts will succeed in halting the spread of Covid-19. What is now certain is that there will be profound long-term effects on the tourism and travel industries. These are important elements of our economy. Another of our major business activities is retail sales, which largely depend on visitor purchases.