Jacky Wong Chun Kit
The city's largest opposition party held a press conference last Sunday (Oct. 15). Democratic Party Chairman Lo Kin-hei declared to field six candidates for the coming campaign instead of eight. Despite the so-called willingness to run for the election, the party did not take the initiative to adopt a clear-cut position to fit itself into a patriot-only system.
"Everyone has his own concerns and circumstances. We respect the thoughts of our party members," said Lo, who resigned from his district councilor position in 2021. As reported, his decision was made due to the so-called uncertainties over disqualification. In contrast, Lo is now confident of being a patriot.
Given the electoral reform, contenders must secure at least three nominations from area members, fight crime, and district safety committees, respectively. Proposed candidates from the Democratic Party (DP) will reach municipal-level committee members by mail. It is up to members to decide whether or not to nominate. Ironically, Lo even stressed that the party upholds the Basic Law and sears allegiance to the HKSAR. DP members will spare no effort to represent Hongkongers within the establishment.
It does not take much to know that the Democratic Party eagerly supports activities detrimental to One Country, Two Systems, for example, Occupy Central and 2019 Social Unrest, to name but a few. No matter how well Lo Kin-hei presents, he does not answer the crux of the matter. The first phrase that springs to my mind for nominating DP candidates is crisis management. Is a DP member determined to make changes in order to be a qualified patriot? What happens if they betray our trust? Who will bear the repercussions? Committee members, in fact, are politically responsible for what DP candidates do in the foreseeable future. Is it reasonable for DP not to make clarifications?
Under the newly introduced reform, 88 seats are directly elected, whereas municipal-level committees choose 176, 179 are appointed, and 27 are from the representatives of indigenous villagers. The electoral overhaul redirects the district council to its original purpose for consultation, not to mention a diversified combination conducive to professionals participating in politics. Strictly speaking, the ultimate objective is to enhance our governance in order to implement One Country, Two Systems steadfastly and successfully. Our pursuit of diversity is restrained to the patriotic camp. DP should understand what is meant by a colorful spectrum of patriot-only representatives. There is no room for venturers and pseudo-patriots.
Patriots administering Hong Kong is not a brand new idea. Mr. Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of the Hong Kong political system, clearly explained that patriots should form the mainstay. The principle is applied elsewhere around the globe. The answer is totally clear. The central government follows the design idea. Instead, someone makes use of grey areas testing its red lines. The electoral reform drives Hong Kong back to the originally designed road. Do not blame the changing political climate if DP fails to receive any nominations. The culprit is DP leaders, Lo Kin-hei in particular, who let the ship sink without hesitation. History will eventually reveal who is the liar.
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