Hong Kong lawmakers call on officials to boldly promote national pride as they approve motion encouraging learning about Xi Jinping’s 20th party congress report
- Motion passed with show of hands during rare discussion on Chinese Communist Party’s report on development of country
- Hong Kong officials must learn from party’s boldness in tackling tough issues, lawmaker Junius Ho says
Lawmakers have urged Hong Kong officials to boldly promote national pride and raise awareness about foreign interference, as they overwhelmingly approved a motion urging the government to encourage residents to learn about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s report at the country’s 20th party congress.
The motion was passed on Thursday with a show of hands during a marathon debate in the Legislative Council, where a rare discussion about the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s report on the development of the country took place.
Titled “Embracing the spirit of the 20th national congress to further develop Hong Kong”, the motion was put forward by lawmaker Dennis Lam Shun-chiu weeks after Xi delivered his report at the congress held in October, where he also secured a historic third term as state leader.
In the seven-hour debate, which began on Wednesday, all but three lawmakers in the 86-member legislature shared their take on what Xi’s report meant for Hong Kong. Four seats are currently vacant and will be filled after by-elections.
Lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu said officials must learn from the party’s boldness in tackling tough issues such as poverty, as well as doing more to promote decolonisation and national pride in the city.
He accused local authorities of being hesitant to enact such changes, saying: “Officials do not dare to decolonise Hong Kong. They insisted that street names such as Brewin Path are too sensitive and must not be changed, and the playground there must be named after the path.”
Ho was referring to the government’s recent move to rename the “Brewin Path temporary playground” in the Mid-Levels to “Brewin Path playground”. The path and the playground were named after Arthur Brewin, a British colonial official, with Ho having previously suggested that such places should instead be named after ancient Chinese heroes or local athletes.
Lawmaker Michael Luk Chung-hung, of the Federation of Trade Unions, said officials should remind residents that while the city was stable, national security risks remained, with “international warfare” shifting to areas such as media, trade and technology.
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai also spoke on Thursday, saying the government would bear in mind Xi’s report and administer Hong Kong well.
A total of 60 legislators spoke on Wednesday, the first day of the debate, with most of them praising China’s achievements in the past decade under the leadership of Xi.
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The sole non-establishment member of the legislature, Tik Chi-yuen, of the middle-of-the-road party Third Side, said he was pleased to see the progress the country had made over the past decades. But he urged the Hong Kong government to roll out plans for universal suffrage which he said was the essence of the “one country, two systems” governing principle.
“The central government needs to trust that Hong Kong people have the ability to run their place well, and Hong Kong people should also get rid of the old stereotype against the mainland,” he said.
Three of the lawmakers from the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong – Nixie Lam Lam, Edward Leung Hei and Holden Chow Ho-ding – gave speeches in English during Wednesday’s session, saying they hoped their views would be understood by the international community.
Tan Yueheng, of the Election Committee constituency, spoke in Mandarin. He urged the government to promote the use of Mandarin and simplified Chinese characters in Hong Kong.
In 2021, Beijing overhauled the city’s electoral system following the 2019 anti-government protests to ensure only “patriots” held power. All but one lawmaker in Legco is from the pro-establishment bloc, while the opposition bloc has said the city does not allow genuine competition.
Additional reporting by Ng Kang-chung
