Hong Kong’s political parties are embracing change for the better

The dust has settled and Hong Kong’s eighth Legislative Council is getting ready, with new lawmakers finding their way. There were quite a few surprises, looking at the results. With many new candidates and political groups vying for seats, the contest for the directly elected geographical constituencies was highly competitive. Some candidates were fielded by groups with strongholds in the trade-based functional constituencies, which are indirectly elected. That is something we should welcome. Establishing ties directly in the community will help our political groups be more in touch; it can help steer the groups’ mindsets, address their blind spots and bridge the gap between policymakers and the masses. As long as these groups continue to work on community building on the ground and put themselves forward to be chosen in the geographical constituencies, the people and the city win. As we head into the second term of the revamped electoral system, this is one of the better and most obvious changes. It is a good disruption. The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), the city’s largest party, won another Legco seat but saw a significant dip in votes. While the Tai Po fire tragedy hurt its performance, it had more to do with the number of groups contesting seats. The New People’s Party (NPP), for instance, retained voter support by recruiting new members and fielding more candidates. For an NPP candidate to garner more votes than the DAB chairman is quite an achievement. Large parties must adapt and become more diverse. The DAB has done that. All the candidates it fielded for the Election Committee constituency won – for other parties, there are lessons: the DAB remains the leader in electioneering work. The indirectly elected Election Committee constituency is a most diverse group, including professionals and individuals unlikely to win in the geographical constituencies without the support of traditional political groups. There are a few stand-out incumbents. Independent Johnny Ng Kit-chong has proved an expert in many fields, winning the support of the Election Committee electorate. He has also been at the forefront of tackling online fraud. That is how he has been building his connection with people. Chan Hoi-yan, who won the most votes for a woman in that constituency, proves it is possible to carve out space without belonging to any political group. The former official has gone from being an elected lawmaker in a geographical constituency to retaining her seat in the Election Committee constituency. In the functional constituencies, there was competition like never before. Hopefully, the old days of uncontested seats are over. Candidates from the same political group even ran against one another, giving voters an opportunity to choose, for the most part, on merit rather than according to party affiliation. That is also a step in the right direction. None of these outcomes were anticipated when the electoral system was revamped, and it is important to remind ourselves that systems are only as good or bad as we make them. Our political ecology is evolving. In this election, political groups have finally found a way to navigate after the tectonic political shift. Within the parameters Beijing has set for Hong Kong’s politics, there is room for different people with different backgrounds to run for different offices. We may not be used to one-time wonders, as we traditionally considered political careers to last longer. But with more seats now, Legco’s work will be done even if some fall short. To give ourselves the chance to try out new political aspirants may be a novel idea, but the city can benefit from a more diverse group of lawmakers. Perhaps this Legco will show how all these fundamental changes translate into benefits for the city and its residents. The rebuilding of the Tai Po community must be a priority. And the first test for both the government and lawmakers will be how they work together to address deeply entrenched systemic issues. Lawmakers must be critical in investigating and scrutinising government processes. The government must earn lawmakers’ support by letting them do their jobs as they, together, unravel what needs real reform. As for the rest of Hong Kong, we should pay close attention. Political apathy will not resolve any of our problems. Whatever our qualms about the political system or the people who represent us, we must also let go of how things were done in the past. We have an active role to play in shaping how our leaders and lawmakers do their jobs. The political landscape has changed.

Hong Kong’s political parties are embracing change for the better

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}With fiercer contests, fresh faces and more community building on the ground, parties have found a way to navigate the new landscape

With fiercer contests, fresh faces and more community building on the ground, parties have found a way to navigate the new landscape