Hong Kong elections: Carrie Lam adviser urges government to explore online voting to avoid delaying Legislative Council 2020 polls over Covid-19
- Coronavirus crisis leads pro-Beijing camp to suggest delaying Legco 2020, but Ronny Tong says that presents risks to both the government and Hong Kong
- Tong says officials should instead explore overseas, online voting and extending opening hours of polling stations
Speaking on a radio show on Wednesday, Tong said the government should consider alternatives to postponing the elections such as allowing the Hong Kong electorate to vote from outside the city.
“Overseas voting – many countries have this option – or online voting, or even extending voting hours, all of these could be viable alternatives,” he said, adding it was possible to stagger voting by age group to avoid large gatherings.
Will Legco elections be postponed as Covid-19 crisis worsens in Hong Kong?
Tong, who serves on Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s cabinet, said the elections should be postponed if that was the approach agreed by health experts, but otherwise it would be difficult to find a legal basis for a delay.
“According to the Legco Ordinance, the chief executive can delay the election by up to 14 days, but whether this will be enough is hard to predict,” he added.
Pro-Beijing politicians call for Legco polls to be put on hold amid Covid-19 crisis
The senior counsel warned that it could be too controversial to postpone the elections using other laws, such as the Emergency Regulations Ordinance or the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance.
“I do not think the political risk is worth it,” he said. “It could trigger political arguments and legal challenges.”
01:03
‘We choose not to kowtow to China’, says Joshua Wong announcing run for Hong Kong legislature
Asked how the international community would react if the elections were postponed, Tong said: “There will certainly be someone who takes the opportunity to initiate a smear campaign and accuse the government of limiting the voting rights of citizens.
“I think these political issues cannot be ignored because they will also weaken investor confidence.”
In its commentary published on Wednesday, People’s Daily said the opposition was not interested in public service.
Banks in Hong Kong reviewing client lists, prepping for US sanctions
“In the eyes of the faction with the ‘if we burn, you burn with us’ mantra, running in elections has nothing to do with serving voters, but seizing the ‘constitutional weapon of mass destruction’ to escalate the ‘black violence’ and achieve their ultimate goal of … usurping power,” the commentary said.
02:07
More than 610,000 vote in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition primary elections
Gwyneth Ho Kwai-lam, one of the 15 candidates backed by opposition activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung, said the government should examine ways to make sure the elections could proceed.
“Many countries go ahead with elections under the Covid-19 pandemic. If the government hasn’t studied the possibilities and measures but just directly postponed the elections, it would be crystal clear that its intention is to help the election prospects of the pro-establishment camp,” Ho said.
But she insisted that she would still veto the Hong Kong government’s budget and “resist at all levels” in Legco with her comrades.
Additional reporting by Kimmy Chung and Tony Cheung
