Voters line up at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai to cast their ballots in the 2021 Election Committee Subsector Ordinary Elections on Sept 19, 2021. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)
Leaders from the commerce sector in Hong Kong hailed the 2021 Election Committee Subsector Ordinary Elections as a promising sign that the special administrative region is on the right track to long-term prosperity and stability under sincere patriots and committed governance.
The triumphant committee election ensures that only people who earnestly love the country and Hong Kong, abide by the constitutional order, and are rational and pragmatic can lead Hong Kong to sustained social, political and economic prosperity and stability, said Allen Shi, president of the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong.
The election, conducted under the revamped electoral system in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, effectively selects public officers who pledge “allegiance to the country and the SAR government, support for the Basic Law and respect for ‘one country, two systems’”, while keeping interference with the administration of the SAR government at bay.
Allen Shi, president of the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong, said he is convinced that the Election Commmittee polls will ground Hong Kong socially, politically and economically, helping the region “emerge from the current predicament”
Having experienced devastating economic contraction over the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic and social unrest, with many industries badly hit, Hong Kong can’t afford to suffer “internal strife” anymore which endangers national security and jeopardizes the region’s economic development, Shi said.
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Shi said he is convinced that the election, the first major polls after the enforcement of the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR in June 2020, will ground Hong Kong socially, politically and economically, helping the region “emerge from the current predicament”.
Chong Tai-leung, executive director of the Lau Chor Tak Institute of Global Economics and Finance at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the best part of the election is that it selects and concentrates patriots from all walks of life and whose future developmental proposals for their sectors will be initiated for the best interest of Hong Kong.
He said the election fixes a loophole in past elections where rigid screening was lacking. “That’s why the composition of the (previous) committee included candidates with (the) intent to hamper the SAR governance, sabotage and disrupt Hong Kong’s integrity and stability.”
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The members of the Election Committee are responsible for selecting the next Chief Executive and members of the Legislative Council. Chong is confident that the members will choose the right CE candidates who will serve and lead Hong Kong with an unwavering dedication to Hong Kong’s “prosperity, development and stability”.
Moreover, as the EC members are all leaders in each sector, they will voice their concerns for their corresponding industries and initiate developmental proposals, Chong added. Their proposals will be relevant for the central government to consider Hong Kong’s unique status quo in the national development ambitions, he said.
The inclusion of Chinese mainland enterprises also reflects the importance of their contribution to Hong Kong’s economy, said Henry Ho, founder and chairman of the One Country Two Systems Youth Forum based in Hong Kong. It will also facilitate “Hong Kong’s further integration to the Greater Bay Area development.”
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Witman Hung, Hong Kong deputy to the 13th National People's Congress and principal liaison officer for Hong Kong, Shenzhen Qianhai Authority, said that the CE and LegCo selected by the committee will align its governance with the needs of the Hong Kong society, in which the economic integration of Hong Kong into the Greater Bay Area is one of the highest priorities.
“The fifth sector of the EC comprising of all members of national bodies will further ensure the synchronization of the SAR with the central government,” said Hung.