Editorial | Election suffers with lack of hopefuls from opposition parties
- ‘Patriots’ may be having a clear field in Hong Kong’s district council poll, but one can only hope ballots to come are more representative
The political revamp to confine elected offices to “patriots” guarantees that those who are unacceptable to Beijing will be screened out. It is nonetheless telling that no opposition figure has made the starting line in the district council election. Like it or not, the December race will be another patriot-only game.
The two-week nomination closed with 399 aspirants having passed the nomination hurdle. On Friday, centrist faction the Third Side said it would not be fielding candidates as its three hopefuls were unable to obtain the nominations required. Another eight, six from the Democratic Party and two from the Association for Democracy and People’s Livelihood, were also unable to gain sufficient support.
This is the first time since the shake-up for opposition parties to declare their intention to run, but the outcome raises questions over whether there is even room for them in future.
Under the new system, one has to secure three nominations from each of the three district committees comprising more than 2,500 appointees. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu rejected claims the hurdles were too high, saying the system was meant to return the best. Indeed, district councils provide neighbourhood services. All aspirants must show the people they are there to serve them rather than turn the councils into political platforms.
The revamp is to ensure governance and powers are vested in the hands of those trusted by Beijing. The introduction of the national security law and the electoral overhaul following the 2019 social unrest mean reconciliation and the building of trust are still a work in progress. It will take time for the opposition to win the trust of the committee members.