Hong Kong district council election to be as politically diverse as past polls, except for lack of opposition camp, minister says
- Home affairs chief Alice Mak defends revamped district council system after opposition hopefuls, some pro-establishment parties fail to secure any backing
- ‘The [political] spectrum hasn’t become narrower. It only lacks one colour that destabilises Hong Kong and the rest of China,’ minister says
The coming district council election will be as politically diverse as previous polls except that opposition candidates and people seeking to destabilise Hong Kong and the country are no longer taking part, the city’s home affairs minister has said.
Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen on Sunday defended the revamped district council system after opposition hopefuls and some pro-establishment parties earlier said they had struggled to secure nominations to run.
“We are talking about a district council that keeps in contact with residents and listens to their concerns through multiple channels so that it will encompass people with different professions and backgrounds,” she told a radio programme.
“In fact, the spectrum hasn’t become narrower. It only lacks one colour that destabilises Hong Kong and the rest of China. It is not a colour favourable to Hong Kong and to the country.”
She stressed that candidates from other parts of the political spectrum were still in the race, adding that future district councillors would come into contact with people with various viewpoints during their work.
Officeholders would also need to convey a variety of public opinions to the government to help officials develop more responsive policies, Mak said.
Under the revamped electoral process, candidates are required to obtain nine nominations from members of their district’s area committees.
Contenders compete for 88 directly elected seats across 44 geographical constituencies, decided by about 4.3 million voters, while another 176 spots are available in the district committee constituencies.
The city’s leader will also select 179 office holders and the remaining 27 will be held by the chairs of rural committees from the city’s districts.
Hong Kong district council poll nominations ‘show shift towards less diversity’
The election is slated for December 10.
The Registration and Electoral Office earlier said it had received 400 endorsement forms before the nomination window closed on October 29.
The coming election will see 228 candidates run for seats in the 18 district committee constituencies, while another 171 contenders will vie for places in the 44 geographical constituencies.
However, opposition hopefuls and some pro-establishment aspirants have criticised the new system after struggling to contact nominators.
Those who failed to secure endorsements included the Democratic Party, the city’s largest opposition group, the Association for Democracy and People’s Livelihood, and the centrist Third Side.
Hong Kong district council poll to be ‘fierce contest’, despite opposition absence
Some lawmakers had also urged the government to limit the number of politically affiliated members among the nominating bodies.
The home affairs minister said about 10 per cent of nominators had political affiliations, while the rest were drawn from groups such as community organisations, schools and owners’ corporations.
“A candidate’s job is not just working in years of the election, they have to be practical and long-term,” Mak said. “It is hoped that everyone interested in this position can impress the nominators with their hard work.”
No Hong Kong opposition groups in district poll with nominations hard to find
She also discussed Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s policy address proposal to establish a pilot mediation scheme for alimony disputes.
Mak said she had asked the Census and Statistics Department to collect more data and hoped professional mediators could also share their experiences.
She added that she wanted to establish a separate platform that focused on supporting women, helping those from low-income backgrounds to secure job opportunities and legal advice, among other services.
The government is set to hold a summit on family and women’s development for the first time next year, Mak said, adding the event could become a forum for discussing such policies and initiatives.
