Hong Kong should consider postponing chief executive election to prioritise Covid-19 fight, pro-Beijing heavyweight, advisers say
- Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the country’s top legislative body, says: ‘Other matters should be put aside at the moment so as not to distract attention from pandemic control’
- Government advisers Wong Kwok-kin, Regina Ip and Ip Kwok-him back Tam’s view, adding this is a ‘make-or-break time for Hong Kong’
Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, told the Post on Thursday that there was a need to make “adjustments” to the coming chief executive race, currently set for March 27.
“The president has made it clear that fighting the pandemic is the overriding priority for Hong Kong. Other matters should be put aside at the moment so as not to distract attention from pandemic control,” Tam said, stressing that it was his own opinion.
The three government advisers who backed Tam’s view are Wong Kwok-kin, Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee and Ip Kwok-him, all members of the Executive Council.
Noting Xi’s words, Wong said the election campaign would inevitably cause controversy in society and infighting within the pro-establishment camp, hampering efforts to contain the outbreak.
Hong Kong confirmed 6,116 coronavirus cases on Thursday, shattering the previous day’s mark of 4,285.
Public hospitals have been so swamped that patients are left out in the cold as they wait to be admitted. Many infected residents have also been stuck at home for days because of the lack of available hospital beds, sparking fears of cross-infection.
“If someone with a realistic chance of winning the top job declares candidacy, he or she is inclined to criticise incumbent leader Carrie Lam’s handling of the pandemic,” Wong said.
Ip, who is also a legislator, said the city should be “laser-focused” on fighting the pandemic. “This is a make-or-break time for Hong Kong,” she said.
The third executive councillor, Ip Kwok-him, suggested postponing the election by a year.
The four are among a wider group of politicians and scholars openly suggesting delaying the leadership race.
On Wednesday, Xi instructed the government via two pro-Beijing newspapers to “mobilise all forces and resources” to bring the city’s surging fifth wave of infections under control as soon as possible.
Most important, he said, was safeguarding residents’ lives and the overall social stability of the city.
Just a day before, city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor had said the two-week nomination period for the leadership race would take place on Sunday and the election on March 27 as originally planned, although she added she could not rule out any possibilities.
Last week, Lam had said there was no need to delay the poll as only 1,463 Election Committee members were qualified to take part, making it relatively easy to impose pandemic-control measures.
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But with daily caseloads surging into the thousands in recent days, some in the city’s political circles said they had not counted out a postponement.
The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, which is in charge of organising the poll, said it had no updates since Lam last spoke.
The Post has also learned that the electoral office is preparing for unprecedented scenarios.
A postponement may require Beijing’s top legislature to formally pass a specific resolution if the election is delayed beyond June 30, when the incumbent leader’s current five-year term expires. But Ip and Wong said it was possible for the poll to be pushed back for a short while.
According to the Chief Executive Election Ordinance, if no candidates are validly nominated, an election can be postponed for 42 days after the end of the nomination period, and the earliest date for the poll will be April 17.
Article 45 of the Basic Law provides that the chief executive can also be selected “through consultations”.
“I believe the pandemic would be contained during the 42-day period. It would be better for the poll to be held when the daily caseload drops to double digits,” Wong said.
Democratic Party member Ramon Yuen Hoi-man echoed the trio’s view, saying that a postponement was the most “natural” decision. The number of cases had been doubling every three days in the past week, he noted.
“Even the country’s president has said people’s lives prevail over anything and that the pandemic has to be suppressed. It will be odd if the government decides to proceed with it,” said Yuen, who specialises in health policies.
Ng Chau-pei, a lawmaker from the pro-Beijing Federation of Trade Unions, said whether the chief executive election would affect anti-pandemic work remained to be seen. But he stressed the government should have back-up plans ready.
Analysts have said the handling of the worsening Covid-19 situation could have a bearing on the chief executive race, and if the outbreak spiralled out of control, it would reflect badly on the incumbent.
Lam has remained coy about whether she will seek a second term, stressing her top priority is to manage the “critical” pandemic.
