Election Committee members in outreach to heed public opinion

Nearly 1,000 ex-officio and uncontested members of the Election Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region participated in a mass campaign over the weekend to introduce their views and collect public opinion.

Those members talked to grassroots residents at over 1,000 booths set across various districts in Hong Kong, introducing the new electoral system and the national favorable policies for Hong Kong, as well as soliciting people's views on pushing for sound governance.

The campaign will hopefully build a platform for dialogues between residents and the Election Committee members, Tam Yiu-chung, a member of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said.

Margaret Chan, former director-general of the World Health Organization, and Connie Wong, vice-chair the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, learned about the life of ethnic minorities and noted down their hopes to improve health care conditions.

When chatting with residents at a booth in Wan Chai, business tycoon Fok Chun-wan said he hopes the new Election Committee will elect talents who have both an understanding of the national conditions and a global vision as well.

Hong Kong should set the right direction for its long-term development and actively seize the opportunities in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for national socio-economic development, he said.

Stanley Ng, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, and Nicholas Chan, a Hong Kong deputy to the NPC, visited a street market in Cheung Sha Wan. Ng promised to bring the grassroots voice to the Election Committee and prompt the government to address people's concerns.

In Shek Kip Mei, residents asked Maggie Chan, also a Hong Kong deputy to the NPC, about the new electoral system and told her that only when Hong Kong is stable, can people lead a peaceful life.

Real estate tycoons Robert Ng, Martin Lee and Raymond Kwok also took to the street and learned about people's opinions on home building in Hong Kong.

Kung Chun-lung, chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Guangdong Community Organizations, introduced the opportunities in newly-released plans on Qianhai and Hengqin development to residents.

Wong Tsz-man, a member of the Standing Committee of All-China Youth Federation, and Cheng Cheung-Ling with the China Overseas Friendship Association, also participated in the campaign.

Many residents welcomed the event and agreed that stability is crucial to Hong Kong and the city needs to gather more momentum for development and address deep-seated social and economic problems.

(Source: Xinhua)