Lawmakers should focus on practical work rather than online activities: Ronny Tong

“Don’t just engage in online activities,” urged Executive Councillor and Path of Democracy convenor Ronny Tong Ka-wah, as he called on lawmakers to prioritize delivering tangible results.

This came after political group Path of Democracy found 48 percent of respondents dissatisfied with the current Legislative Council in a survey.

Speaking on a radio program on Thursday, Tong admitted more dissatisfaction among citizens than expected, but attributed it to a litany of reasons, dismissing a direct link to lawmakers’ capabilities in public policy discussion and debate.

He also suggested that lawmakers’ trip to Japan might have influenced the sentiment, referring to a four-day visit to Tokyo by an eight-member delegation, with a budget estimated at about HK$200,000.

Tong, however, stressed that the government is satisfied with LegCo, especially in terms of efficiency.

Tong, who was a lawmaker for 11 years, called on legislators to improve their perception of citizens by engaging in practical work and making statements that represent the public.

He said: “During debates, citizens have the best chance to observe their performance. By engaging in more debates and presenting arguments that are reasonable or representative, I believe public perception will change.”

"I urge lawmakers to focus more on scrutinizing legislation. As the name suggests, the function of the Legislative Council is to legislate. If you don’t perform this duty adequately and are only preoccupied with online activities, it may not align with your role.”

(Jamie Liu)