Electoral amendments to 'optimize democracy'

Hong Kong's political and business leaders, legal experts, scholars and trade unions on Tuesday applauded changes to the city's electoral system that were adopted that morning by the nation's top legislature, saying the reform will further optimize local democratic development.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will now amend local laws to conform to the changes as the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in Beijing unanimously adopted the amended Annex I and Annex II of the Basic Law of the SAR. The two annexes deal with the method of selecting the city's chief executive, and the formation and voting procedures of the Legislative Council.

The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the largest political party in the city's legislature, said in a statement that "it fully supports the amendments of Annex I and Annex II to the Basic Law", the SAR's constitutional document.

The DAB said the changes will fully close existing loopholes in the electoral system and effectively implement the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's Election Committee, which chooses the city's chief executive, now will also have a mandate to nominate candidates for LegCo, and will see the committee's membership expand from 1,200 to 1,500 from five sectors. The size of LegCo will increase from 70 to 90 legislators, with 40 of them selected by the Election Committee, 30 by trade-based functional constituencies, and 20 by geographical constituencies.

More representative

The changes to the composition and size of LegCo will ensure that election candidates are more representative, which is in line with society's overall interests, the DAB said.

The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, the city's largest labor union, said that the changes to LegCo and the Election Committee will ensure equal and balanced political participation from different sectors and let the voice of the working class and the grassroots be heard.

In addition, guaranteeing the implementation of "patriots administering Hong Kong" will prevent the recurrence of filibustering and LegCo's being paralyzed, and this will allow the city to focus on solving its deep-seated issues related to people's livelihoods, the HKFTU said.

Also supporting the move was Maggie Chan Man-ki, president of the Small and Medium Law Firms Association of Hong Kong, who said the amendments were made in accordance with the Chinese Constitution. They address the urgent need to safeguard the nation's sovereignty, national security, and development interests, as well as the city's democracy and long-term stability and prosperity, she added.

Willy Fu Kin-chi, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation, said that the more that Hong Kong holds to its commitment to national security, the more room the city will have for freedom and democracy.

Stable environment

Prominent scholar Chan Ching-chuen said the central government has always been a "protector" and "facilitator" of the SAR's democracy, and that the amendments will further strengthen the quality of the city's democratic development and are in line with the principle of "promoting democracy step by step".

Chan, the first Hong Kong academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said that scientific research requires a stable and free environment, adding that he believes the electoral overhaul will help maintain the city's stability and prosperity.

The Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce said in a statement that the amendments will lay a solid foundation for improving the city's electoral system.

The changes cover more sec- tors and strata of society, which will allow more professionals and patriots from all walks of life to participate in Hong Kong's governance, chamber Chairman Yuen Mo said.

Chen Shuman contributed to this story.