{"id":4862,"date":"2023-11-15T16:53:14","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T08:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/?p=4862"},"modified":"2023-11-15T16:53:17","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T08:53:17","slug":"votes-and-quotes-amid-altered-landscape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.boasecohencollins.com\/zh-hant\/%e7%b6%b2%e8%aa%8c\/votes-and-quotes-amid-altered-landscape\/","title":{"rendered":"Votes and quotes amid altered landscape"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hong Kong, 15 November 2023: <\/strong>\u201cA week is a long time in politics.\u201d The late Harold Wilson\u2019s quote, made during one of the UK\u2019s seemingly never-ending crises in the 1960s, perfectly captures the fluctuating fortunes of those in office, including the man himself. A Labour Party titan and social reformer, he served two terms as Prime Minister and won four of the five general elections he contested, more than any other post-war British leader of any party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using Wilson\u2019s yardstick, four years in politics is an eternity, a view borne out by looking ahead to Hong Kong\u2019s District Council election on 10 December. Every candidate has been rigorously vetted. Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak spells it out<\/a>: \u201cIt [the poll] 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.\u201d Yes, Alice, we hear you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did we reach this stage? Rewind to the last District Council election \u2013 held in November 2019 at the height of our city\u2019s civil unrest \u2013 which saw a record high voter turnout of 71% and a landslide for the pan-democrats. Even beleaguered Chief Executive Carrie Lam had to concede \u201cthe results reflect people\u2019s dissatisfaction with the current situation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrie did not have to worry. Soon after, Beijing mandated a new system of \u201cpatriots running Hong Kong\u201d and our city\u2019s political landscape was transformed. The Legislative Council underwent a major revamp, with the number of directly elected lawmakers reduced and all candidates having to be endorsed by a pro-Beijing vetting panel. As a consequence, 89 of the 90 seats are now filled by pro-establishment lawmakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relations between the District Councils and government, meanwhile, quickly soured. More than half the directly elected councillors quit amid a new law requiring them to swear allegiance to the city and vow to uphold the Basic Law. This has put some councils back in the hands of pro-establishment figures while others barely have enough members to function. Wong Tai Sin was left with just three councillors, ditto Central & Western district. By-elections were not considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has fallen to Carrie\u2019s successor, John Lee, to implement an overhaul of our lowest-level municipal bodies. In championing his revamp<\/a>, he insists District Councils should be \u201cdepoliticised\u201d, arguing: \u201cIt is the attempt to make Hong Kong independent and an attempt to cause disaster to Hong Kong society as a whole that we need to prevent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new-look councils will have 470 seats in total. Of these, 176 are chosen by members of three district-level committees stacked with pro-establishment figures, 179 are appointed by the Chief Executive and 27 are ex-officio seats. This leaves 88 to be directly elected by the public, but simply becoming a candidate has proven impossible for non-establishment figures, none of whom has secured enough nominations from the district-level committees. How tough is it? Even some pro-establishment hopefuls are excluded<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just reaching out to the committee members is hard enough, with the authorities refusing to disclose their contact details<\/a>. The Home Affairs Department would only forward nomination requests to the committees while the Electoral Affairs Commission, citing \u201cprivacy of personal data\u201d, claims it is not authorised to make such information available to the public. John Lee has dismissed concerns over this<\/a>, however, observing that those struggling to be endorsed should \u201clook into why they have problems\u201d. Third Side party leader Tik Chi-yuen \u2013 the sole non-establishment lawmaker in LegCo \u2013 predictably takes a different view, suggesting that evaluating candidates should be the duty of voters, not nominators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of which has caused serial litigant and Democratic Party \u201cpermanent member\u201d Kwok Cheuk-kin to file a judicial challenge<\/a> in the High Court, arguing the nomination process violates the Basic Law. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam SC, named as an interested party in the proceedings, points out the government has no legal obligation even to form District Councils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you might guess by now, Hong Kong is hardly gripped by election fever and, already, some pro-establishment figures are playing down expectations. Executive Council Convener Regina Ip says high voter turnout should not be expected, but nor should it define the credibility of the exercise. Even so, those candidates who have navigated the nomination process are taking it seriously. The Liberal Party members canvassing near my office last week were bright, enthusiastic and open to discussion when I stopped to chat with them. Will I vote? Absolutely. As long as there is a choice, I will exercise my democratic right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Away from the ballot box, many eyes are on Financial Secretary Paul Chan as he attends this week\u2019s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco. John Lee is backing him<\/a> to tell \u201ctrue stories\u201d about Hong Kong\u2019s strength and stability while outlining efforts to drive economic growth. Indeed, Chan\u2019s presence at the gathering is a timely reminder that, no matter who is elected to the District Councils, LegCo or even the Chief Executive\u2019s role, our city\u2019s fortunes will always be dominated by economic concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhichever party is in office, the Treasury is in power.\u201d Who said that? None other than our old friend \u2013 and election veteran \u2013 Harold Wilson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until next time, everybody!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colin Cohen<\/strong>
Senior Partner<\/strong>
Boase Cohen & Collins<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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