SCIO briefing on 'Hong Kong: Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems' white paper
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E-mail China.org.cn, December 30, 2021
CRNTT:
The white paper stressed that the system of democracy in Hong Kong should not be a replica of some other model. Rather, a path to democracy with Hong Kong characteristics should be explored under the policy of One Country, Two Systems, and the Basic Law and in keeping with its political, economic, social, cultural and historical conditions. So, what are the strengths of democracy with Hong Kong characteristics? Thank you.
Wang Zhenmin:
The revision and improvement of Hong Kong's electoral system have formed a new democratic system with many characteristics, highlights, and strengths, which mainly lie in the following aspects:
First, it underlines both political security and political inclusiveness. All countries put safety first in their electoral systems. We have seen multiple countries, including the United States, saying that other countries interfered with their elections, and such interference should be opposed. Is there any country that doesn't resist foreign interference? Foreign intervention will deform democracy. Should that occur, democracy will be manipulated and distorted by certain external forces, and people cannot enjoy a democratic life. Why should we exclude anti-China elements who disrupt Hong Kong from participating in democratic life? The reason lies in that what they truly want is not democracy. Therefore, we should fully ensure election and political security, which are the most important. Under the new electoral system, all the candidates are patriotic and love Hong Kong. It is up to those who have built Hong Kong to discuss Hong Kong issues, not those who serve foreign forces to stir up trouble. The new electoral system also highlights political inclusiveness. To ensure security, we don't need to exclude democracy and political inclusiveness but external interference and disruption. Prof. Han has just talked about this point. In his recent speech, Xia Baolong, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, also made an in-depth exposition on political inclusiveness. We only exclude those who are doing bad things and serving external forces. Hong Kong's local politics are diverse, and the political spectrum is vast. Those with ulterior motives were the only ones excluded. Therefore, the candidates and those elected are from various political groups across a broad spectrum. I think this is a very significant feature of the new electoral system. Developing the broadest possible united front under the framework of One Country, Two Systems is also a bright spot. During relevant discussions, it was proposed by many people that foreigners' right to vote be removed. There is no other place in the world like Hong Kong where foreigners can enjoy the right to vote and the right to stand for election with a "green card" (permanent resident status). But no change was made to this stipulation. Isn't this a manifestation of political inclusiveness?
Second, it guarantees democracy and competition. Some misunderstandings hint that the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" would stop competition, and candidates could win an easy victory. However, it turned out to be the first time in Hong Kong that an "easy victory" situation was eliminated. Everyone must compete fairly, and there is also full competition among patriots who love Hong Kong, so that Hong Kong people can vote under normal circumstances. The elections in the past were abnormal. Now democratic rights have been taken back from the anti-China politicians seeking to disrupt Hong Kong and returned to Hong Kong people to ensure they have the freedom to choose, truly become the masters, and live a democratic life of their own. Therefore, the competition is no less intense than in the past. All candidates competed on the same platform in the election, campaigning on their policies, experience, capability, patriotism, and love for Hong Kong. In the past elections, those who showed intention to disrupt Hong Kong and China at large would have a larger chance to win. That was abnormal. Patriotism is the prerequisite for elections in any country in the world. For example, in the elections in the United States, candidates who dare to say that they are not patriotic will be out of the race immediately. However, in the past elections in Hong Kong, candidates campaigned on who was more unpatriotic. In comparison, this year's elections are indeed normal elections, focusing on the economy and people's livelihood. This is what Hong Kong people care about. It is the politicians who care about politics. Hong Kong people are busy working every day and what they care about are the daily necessities of life. So, is it rational if the focus is only on solving the politicians' problems rather than on Hong Kong people? Therefore, the competition under the new electoral system is real and a regular competition instead of being political performance and manipulation.
Its third strength lies in its broad representation and balanced participation. Professor Han also talked about this point just now, so I will not elaborate on it anymore. The broad representation is exactly what the former electoral system ignored, such as representatives from grassroots and vulnerable communities. As Hong Kong is a capitalist society, there is no question about giving due regard to the interests of the business community and maintaining the sound development of capitalism in Hong Kong. However, you also have to give due regard and consideration to the groups that have been ignored for too long. This is a shortcoming of the previous electoral system, and we tackled it this time. It is noticeable that the new electoral system pays more attention to the overall and fundamental interests of Hong Kong. In the past, members from Hong Kong Island district councils could not represent Kowloon, nor could members from the legal sector represent the medical sector. They only represented the interests of their specific sectors, instead of the overall interests of Hong Kong. Now, however, we see that the 40 LegCo members returned by the Election Committee represent the overall interests of Hong Kong.
Moreover, the new electoral system has changed the conflicting political culture in the past Western-style democracy. The conflicts between the executive and legislative branches and the internal strife within the LegCo tore the whole of Hong Kong apart. Is that normal? Western-style democracy has come to an end in Hong Kong. It can't go any further. It is what Hong Kong imitated in the past. The elections this time have transformed the situation. There must be checks and balances and coordination between the executive and legislative branches. It can be expected that the new electoral system will bring good governance to Hong Kong with a more effective executive-led system, and significantly improve its governing capabilities. That's all.
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