Pan-dems 'can survive' electoral system revamp

The pro-democracy camp will still have room to survive under the overhauled election system, former secretary for transport and housing Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said.

This is because the government will still have to solicit public views through various channels, he said yesterday.

Cheung, now a research chair professor of public administration at the Education University, also warned that the opposition camp would take to the streets again if all pro-democracy camp members were excluded from the legislature.

He said about 60 percent of the people of Hong Kong support the pro-democracy camp, so it would be beneficial for the government to have representatives from the camp in the Legislative Council

Cheung also said that while the loyal opposition does not have to agree on all matters raised by Beijing or the SAR government, they do have to accept the system.

A founding member of the party, he said the party should consider whether or not to participate in the upcoming elections carefully.

"I can well understand current sentiments. I can well understand their attitude toward the revision of the electoral system. But if a party, for a long time, does not take part in any elections, then what is the purpose of a party? This is a longer term existential question they have to consider," he said. "Personally, I think they should take part, no matter how difficult, how challenging the situation is."

Under the electoral changes, the number of legislative seats will be increased from 70 to 90, with the new Election Committee constituency returning 40 seats, but the number of directly elected seats will be reduced from 35 to 20.

Cheung said the overhauled Legco may not become a legislature that lacks a plurality of voices, and what interests the new lawmakers will reflect and how they will check the administration is still unknown.

He also said no local laws, including the national security law implemented on June 30, prevents people from commemorating the June 4 crackdown in 1989.

"The police banned the annual candlelight vigil due to the pandemic and the social gathering ban. I think we should not make it too complicated," Cheung said.

But he pointed out that, in political terms, some officials might think that the incident happened many years ago and therefore, "it is time to let it go."

As mainland scholars found Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China to be problematic due to the latter's calls for an "end to one-party dictatorship" in their operational goals, Cheung said the issue should be dealt with carefully.

"After an amendment to China's constitution in 2018, which stated that the leadership of the Communist Party is the defining feature of China's socialism, it will be unconstitutional to challenge it. It might also breach the national security law," Cheung said.

His comments came as Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said Saturday elections are not the only way to go into politics. The government needs many capable talents to administer Hong Kong, and one can only show his or her effectiveness in governing by joining the government.