The Hong Kong government will observe the outcome of major electoral overhauls before considering direct voting to elect the city’s leader or legislature, an official in charge of constitutional affairs has said.
Universal suffrage, or the direct elections of Hong Kong’s chief executive and Legislative Council, has been a key demand for the city’s pro-democracy movement, with activists calling for the right to choose their leader and lawmakers in large-scale protests in 2014 and 2019.
Such calls, however, have been muted since Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020 to quell dissent. Most democracy activists have either been jailed, left the city or quit politics.
In 2021, Beijing overhauled Hong Kong’s electoral systems, slashing the number of directly elected seats and ensuring only “patriots” could run for the office of chief executive or a seat in the legislature.
Tik Chi-yuen, who was the only self-titled non-establishment lawmaker to win a seat in the overhauled 90-seat legislature, on Monday raised questions about the government’s plan to implement dual universal suffrage.
“There was a timetable or a road map in the past, whereas the government has put the matter aside nowadays,” Tik said in Cantonese during a panel on constitutional affairs, adding that dual universal suffrage was provided for in the city’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law.
The Basic Law stipulates that the universal suffrage is the “ultimate aim” for the selection of chief executive and the formation of the legislature.
“We have not forgotten it,” Undersecretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Clement Woo said in Cantonese.
But Woo said the recent electoral overhauls, including last year’s changes to the District Council selection process, had been extensive and authorities would first examine the operation of the new systems before making any further moves.
“We will monitor their operation and development to consider the next step of political reforms,” he added.
Separately, Tik raised concerns regarding the government’s promotion of national security education across different levels of school in the city, describing it as having been conducted with “lightning speed.”
In response, Woo said the government’s efforts to step up national security education stemmed from past inadequacies.
Multiple lawmakers suggested the government promote national security through “soft” content such as movies or television drama. Lawrence Tang said authorities could adapt the local cinema classic Infernal Affairs for a national security remake, while Ma Fung-kwok suggested the government to refer to US blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick, which bolstered American patriotism.
Woo said the government had already been promoting national security through cultural products, such as a newly-released song named Wings. The song, which features local celebrities, contains lyrics that promote China’s constitution and the Basic Law.
He added that the government would create different content and make use of social media platforms to promote national security among the younger generations.
Overhauls
After Beijing’s overhauls in 2021, the city’s Election Committee was expanded from 1,200 to 1,500 members, with more members chosen by pro-Beijing groups. Besides selecting the chief executive, it was also endowed with new power to select 40 members in the legislature.
Former security chief John Lee became the first chief executive since the overhaul after running for the position uncontested in 2022.
The number of directly elected seats in the Legislative Council was slashed from 35 out of 70 to 20 out of 90, and a new vetting procedure introduced to ensure that all candidates are “patriots.”
Pro-government candidates swept into the expanded legislature after the overhauled election in December 2021, but voter turnout stood at only 30.2 per cent – a record low.
The government had said the changes would ensure the city’s stability and prosperity following the pro-democracy protests and unrest in 2019. But the changes also prompted international condemnation, as they made it near-impossible for pro-democracy candidates to stand.
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