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Alice Wu

The sixth Legislative Council has finally ended its extended term. There is no doubt that the remaining lawmakers, after all the disqualifications and resignations of the opposition, got to work in this final legislative year.
They have passed 46 government bills, the most in a single year since the establishment of the special administrative region. And it was the first time since 2008 that the year ended with no lapsed bills.
The Legco term should have ended in the summer of 2020, but the election for the seventh term, originally meant to take place that September, got postponed. The pandemic was the cited as the reason for the interruption, but the unexpected year has still seen unprecedented political changes.
Less than two months after opposition lawmakers decided to stay on in the extended term, 15 quit en masse in response to the disqualification of four colleagues.
That set the stage for the “shining report card” that Starry Lee Wai-king, chair of the House Committee and head of Hong Kong’s largest political party, said the city’s legislature has delivered.


Lee and her fellow lawmakers will celebrate Legco’s “efficiency”, but it is equally important to recognise that it came at a price. The disqualifications and resignations might have eliminated the chaos inside the chamber, but it is a far cry from what Lee hailed as “a new era of bringing order out of chaos”.
For one thing, the undercurrent of mass frustration and discontent has not gone away because Hong Kong’s long-standing problems remain.
As scientists grapple with the persistent after-effects of the coronavirus known as “long Covid”, we as a community are experiencing our own type of long Covid. Indeed, Covid-19 and its impact continue to weigh on society’s mood, which has yet to lift.
Our mental health scores have hit new lows. There are more people without a roof over their heads, sleeping on the streets.
New ‘Leave Home Safe’ app rules will hit homeless hard, NGO warns
And so, Legco’s new-found “efficiency” that Lee lauds means little when it does not deliver the desired effect. The question remains whether the “new and improved” political system will deliver on its promised effectiveness.
Lee also attributed Legco’s “shining report card” to returning chamber proceedings to “normal” following the departure of the opposition.
But the political price of this new order cannot be underestimated. Opposition lawmakers quitting en masse made this return to “order” possible. The same wave of opposition resignations and disqualifications spread to the city’s district councils as well.
And, as we are learning now – as the nomination period for the December Legco election begins – the opposition’s ability to even attempt a comeback has been wiped out. In this situation, how will their traditional supporters vote?
A muted opposition sitting out the election might mean less noise, but it is anything but normal. What defines this new era for Legco will depend on all that is happening now and will be decided in the December polls. The campaigning period, with “patriots” vying for seats with no real opponents to fight against, will be telling.


The open combativeness of elections of previous years will probably not be seen again since it is that type of confrontational politics that was blamed for the political stalemate and lack of progress. But with such tame elections, can the candidates resemble real contestants?
The solidarity among the pro-establishment camp will be put to the test, and we could see that unravel soon enough. There are 20 extra seats up for grabs, but those for the geographical constituencies have been cut. Competition should be more fierce, yet there is a lid to reduce the heat and keep the peace.
How candidates engage with voters, showcase their platforms and differentiate themselves from others without offending the powers that be will be the real test for patriotic office-seekers looking to make their mark in this new era.
Alice Wu is a political consultant and a former associate director of the Asia Pacific Media Network at UCLA


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Opinion


Pro-establishment lawmakers and the government are celebrating a new, more productive era as the legislative session draws to a close
Claims of greater efficiency mean little, though, when the sources of discontent and distrust are as entrenched as ever



Pro-establishment lawmakers and the government are celebrating a new, more productive era as the legislative session draws to a close. Claims of greater efficiency mean little, though, when the sources of discontent and distrust are as entrenched as ever.


Hong Kong Legislative Council election 2021

Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong electoral changes

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Hong Kong Legislative Council election 2021: Opinion

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)
