By Lusan Hung
The sixth Chief Executive Election of the Hong Kong SAR will be held on May 8, 2022. This is the first CE Election after the implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong and the revision and improvement of the electoral system. It is the last phase to fully implement the principle of "Patriots governing Hong Kong". The speeches of President Xi Jinping and Xia Baolong, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, have clearly outlined the conditions and characteristics that the new Chief Executive must possess.
During this complicated transitional period from chaos to governance and from governance to prosperity, the person becoming our next leader is of far-reaching consequences and influences. This person carries the weight of the interests of our country and Hong Kong, and to the well-being of every citizen. The CE of the HKSAR carries a dual role: both official and constitutional. According to Articles 43 and 60 of the Basic Law, the CE is the head of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the head of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The status of "double chief" means "double responsibility". The Chief Executive is accountable not only to the Central Government, but also to the people of Hong Kong. The Chief Executive is pivotal in exercising the central government's overall governance, maintaining national security, and promoting the development of Hong Kong's social, economic and people's livelihood.
What qualities should we be looking for? Being patriotic goes without saying. In addition, the new CE should be:
- someone who has a firm political stance and lead Hong Kong to combat the immense pressure exerted from internationally and domestically;
- someone who is resolute and decisive and lead Hong Kong out of confusion and be able to set achievable goals for Hong Kong;
- someone who has a spirit of change and can break deep-seated contradictions and achieve good governance;
- Someone who is charismatic and can unite different sectors in the Society for a common good.
In fact, the criteria for selecting candidates have long been revealed in several important speeches by the central leadership.
The first is loyalty and firmness, which can stand the test. Patriots must sincerely safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests; must respect and safeguard the fundamental system of the country and the constitutional order of the HKSAR; must spare no effort to safeguard the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. As a CE, the standard should be set even higher: i.e, being loyal to the country, having the courage to stand up on major issues of principle, maintaining the uniquely designed "one country, two systems" as the highest responsibility, and having the courage to fight resolutely against acts that undermine this fundamental principle.
During the turmoil of the amendment bill and the riots that broke out in 2019, staunch patriots have united in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, and Hong Kong's prosperity and stability. They defended hard against the insults and violence and did not backoff even on death threats. In the face of the illegal and unreasonable sanctions imposed by the United States, they are fearless and righteous. They stood tall and loyal to the country and Hong Kong. They have shown their patriotism with practical actions. Those who stand firm and can stand the test, and those who can fully implement the spirit of the central government, are the best candidates for the new Chief Executive and can withstand future pressures and challenges.
The second is to be decisive and have a high degree of recognition. After a long period of political internal friction, Hong Kong society experiences various development problems. It appears that Hong Kong's inherent advantages are gradually disappearing, its competitiveness has declined, and it is even more exposed to the risk of international political suppression. The society in general, lacks confidence in social development and all the more lacks confidence in the future as shown in many of our younger generations. In a turmoil time like this, Hong Kong needs a Chief Executive who can consolidate the cornerstone of Hong Kong's development, enhance its competitiveness, and unite all sectors of society to create a new Hong Kong.
The next five years are a critical period for Hong Kong's development. The new CE must fully seize the strategic opportunity of our country's development under the 14.5 development plan with the main emphasis on modernization and technological advancement drive, and push Hong Kong's development to a new height; he must strive to recruit outstanding talents to form a high-level governance team, and build Hong Kong together; he must unite all sectors of society and listen carefully to public opinions; he and his team must be able to offer sensible, achievable and practical solutions to the public.
The third is to face the problem head-on and have a spirit of change. The fifth wave of the epidemic fully exposes all kinds of accumulated shortcomings experienced by the HKSAR administration. With the change in the CE, it is high time that pathway be made to good governance within the Administration. Deep-seated contradictions and problems that have existed in Hong Kong such as high housing prices, large wealth gap, a single economic structure, and difficulty in the upward mobility of young people, should be tackled headon. The new CE must have both a long-term vision for development of a pragmatic and promising future. He must have the courage to confront hardships, break through vested interests barriers, and reform various systems. To improve the government's governance efficiency, it is important that the leader lead by setting out clear directions, formulating policies and measures in solving the various problems and being result-oriented. The person must also have a strong sense of team spirit to motivate those working for the Administration. Hong Kong must start anew.
Our last four CE came from different backgrounds and different upbringings. In hard times, we need a strong leader. Mr. Lee seems to be fitting into that bill. After all, he is already being sanctioned and targeted by the West; he has fought hard against the protesters and he has been making great efforts in coordinating between Mainland and the city in handling the fifth epidemic wave. He has a strong team spirit with years of experiences in the disciplinary forces.
When there are no other suitable candidates, we should all support the one that is courageous enough to take on the challenges and withstand the stress in this political turmoil.
Lusan Hung is a member of the Shandong Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
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