Flawed Legislative Council election still the best way to get Hong Kong back on track

It is understandable that people are sceptical and worried about how they will be governed
While the election had its imperfections, the promise of better political discourse and a sense of normalcy at least provide a silver lining

Robin Hibberd

Published: 2:45pm, 20 Dec 2021

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As I approached my polling station to vote on Sunday morning, I was taken aback by the presence of at least a dozen police milling around the entrance. Some were clad in bulletproof vests.

Having never voted in a Hong Kong election in the past, I was unsure if what I was seeing was typical or a show of force reflective of a disquieting “new normal” in our city.

Somewhat to my relief, the police presence turned out to have been inflated by members of the security detail for Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, who had arrived to vote at the same time as me. It seems the police were not there to intimidate. I relaxed as I entered the building.

My sensitivity to the unexpected police presence at the polling station was symptomatic of the paranoia afflicting Hong Kong these days. Recent turmoil has seen the populace, along with much of the world’s media, looking for sinister meaning in every pronouncement and action. This weekend’s election was but the most recent event to draw the spotlight.

Given what has transpired in recent years, it is understandable that the people of Hong Kong are sceptical and more than a little paranoid about how they can expect to be governed in the years ahead.

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This election, despite its imperfections, was nevertheless the best opportunity in a long time to move forward. It was an opportunity for Hong Kong and its people to get on with their disrupted lives, get beyond the poisonous politics of recent years and to get pressing social and economic issues moved up the agenda.

While the circumstances surrounding the election were nothing to celebrate, it was better than nothing. That is why I voted.

Sunday’s election was easily cast in a cynical light. That might be why only 30.2 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots. The democratic imperfection was on display for all to see. Former opposition figures are in jail, and only 20 of 90 seats are filled by direct geographical elections.

An Election Committee constituency of about 1,500 Beijing-leaning loyalists was charged with electing 40 seats. That is twice as many seats as the millions of people in the geographical voting constituencies could elect.

Unsurprisingly, the election was widely derided in the international press. Hong Kong’s image was not helped by news that 10 people were arrested for allegedly inciting others to boycott or cast blank ballots in the vote.

Hong Kong authorities warned The Wall Street Journal that its editorial mentioning boycotts and blank ballots could have broken Hong Kong law. Such actions do little to instil a sense of government balance and proportion in the eyes of Hong Kong’s people or the international community.

So why bother to vote? Simply wanting Hong Kong to return to some sense of normalcy is one reason. Getting beyond this election might give the city breathing space to begin to address festering social issues like access to affordable housing and economic disparities. Political issues have sucked the air out of the room for too long.

The election also brought with it some faint whiffs of what someday could become renewed, more constructive political discourse. Many candidates appeared to make a genuine effort to distinguish their policy positions from one another. Some openly criticised government positions.

Legislative Council candidate Fong Lung-fei. Photo: Handout

For example, Fong Lung-fei – a candidate who described himself as a pro-democracy independent candidate – criticised the government’s Lantau Tomorrow Vision. His campaign literature said it was, “A slow remedy [that] cannot address the current [housing] emergency.”

Beijing at least appears to want some discourse. Nelson Wong Sing-chi, a former Democratic Party member, said he was encouraged by pro-Beijing forces to pursue office. “I am absolutely not their cup of tea, but they also want me to run so there will be some other voices,” he said.

It was an imperfect election to be sure, but at the polling station I felt I had a choice. In the end, I voted for a candidate who seemed more focused on what I think are important social issues. I wasn’t inclined to support another who appeared to be too stuck on national security issues.

When the votes were tallied, the candidate I voted for won. Only time will tell if they will be effective in advancing the policies they promoted in their election manifesto. I am optimistic, however, that their voice, however faint, will join others in a newly formed, functional legislature that can make progress on issues of importance to the lives of the people of Hong Kong.

Pressure’s on Hong Kong patriots in the new political landscape

Finally, I see a silver lining in this much-criticised election that was so carefully designed to ensure “patriots administering Hong Kong”. The election removes one of the government’s most frequent excuses for inaction on important issues – that is, blaming the opposition for dysfunction and disharmony.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said she hoped Hong Kong could get beyond its internal quarrels in her New Year’s message in January. She said, “That’s why for 2021, my biggest hope is for society to have harmony. So that the SAR government, and other public bodies, have more room to do concrete things for Hong Kong.”

The chief executive has got her wish with this election, and a bona fide patriot got my vote. Now, over to you.

Robin Hibberd was an executive vice-president with a large Canadian-based international bank until 2015 and is a former president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong