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Hong Kong electoral changes about driving city back to straight and narrow, says senior mainland Chinese official
- Deputy director of liaison office Tam Tieniu compares Hong Kong to car during seminar organised by Chinese General Chamber of Commerce
- ‘One man, one vote’ not equal to democracy, which takes many forms, official says
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A senior mainland Chinese official in Hong Kong has compared the city to a car driving down a dangerous road, and said the drastic overhaul of its electoral system would ensure it returned to a safer route.
Tan Tieniu, a deputy director of the central government’s liaison office in the city, also rejected suggestions the move was a step backwards for democracy, arguing there were many forms of democracy and it was not only about one-person-one-vote.
“If you are driving a car and you see that the road you have been taking is getting more difficult and dangerous, will you still follow the route? For certain, you will take a turn and return to a safe and correct road … I do not think it is very difficult to understand,” he said.
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Tan was addressing a seminar organised by the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, one of the city’s most prominent business groups, on Wednesday. The two-hour event summed up the discussion during the annual sessions of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference held in Beijing last month.
At the closing of the NPC’s annual session on March 11, the national legislature passed a resolution to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system to ensure only “patriots” could rule the city.
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