Hard work begins after the Hong Kong oaths end
- With no dissenting voices, the swearing-in ceremony for members of the Legislative Council was uneventful, but now those lawmakers must prove they can meet the daunting challenges ahead
The new Legislative Council term has seemingly got off to a good start, with all members sworn into office without any drama on Monday. This is in stark contrast to the past, when some opposition members made use of the occasion to make political statements only to lose their seats on the grounds that they had not taken their oaths properly.
Whether an uneventful ceremony bodes well for the future remains to be seen, but there is certainly more to the work of the legislature than just pledging allegiance.
For the first time, the oath was presided over by the chief executive. In another symbolic change, the 70-minute ceremony began with a band playing the national anthem against a backdrop of the national emblem, and the national and Hong Kong flags.
The 90 members took turns to solemnly take their oaths, and rightly so.
Relations between the executive and the legislative branches were anything but good until last year, when the opposition resigned en masse in protest against fellow lawmakers being ousted for not upholding the Basic Law, an essential element of the oath of office. The subsequent electoral reform went further to ensure only pre-vetted “patriots” could run for Legco office.
While there can be no doubt that the legislature will no longer be bogged down by filibusters and other political theatrics, its relations with the administration remain to be seen.
The revamped Legco has been promoted as being not only more efficient, but also able to work with outgoing and incoming governments to tackle an array of deep-seated problems that have long faced the city. But if the experience of the past 12 months is any guide, a chamber devoid of opposition is not without its problems.
While it managed to pass a record number of bills and funding proposals with unprecedented speed, there were concerns whether it had become just a rubber stamp.
Let Hong Kong chart its own course on democracy
From fighting the pandemic to rebooting the economy, the tasks that lie ahead are daunting. The expanded legislature has to foster healthy working relations with the executive while maintaining effective checks and balances for good governance.
It must show that it can rise to the challenge.
