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Opinion | Turmoil gives Hong Kong its best chance for badly needed political and economic reforms since 1997
- Amid the crisis comes a chance to start afresh, agree on some form of electoral democracy and press on with social and economic reforms in housing and jobs. It is time for Hong Kong to stop being governed by cartels and caretakers
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Let us try again. Hong Kong needs to restart political reforms, stalled by endless debate, as it searches for crisis solutions. The key is to find a format for electoral democracy that can win support from a substantial number of Hong Kong people, even if it leaves a sizeable minority dissatisfied.
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A solution would allow Hong Kong people to rule Hong Kong, through a system of one man, one vote, and direct elections for the position of chief executive. Such a change would vastly strengthen stability and the government’s legitimacy, making it easier to push aside vested interests standing in the way of urgently needed social and economic reforms.
This provides a way out of the crisis, which is social, economic and political in nature.
As a reminder, Beijing is not opposed to universal suffrage in Hong Kong. With the central government’s approval, Hong Kong attempted major political reform several years ago that would have resulted in the direct election of the chief executive based on one man, one vote. That reform was voted down in the Legislative Council in 2015 because opposition members objected to a procedure that would bring to the electorate a slate of just two or three pre-approved candidates.
So Hong Kong stuck with a system where the chief executive is elected by a committee of just 1,200 members representing a cross-section of society.
We should explore anew how much further we can go with Hong Kong democracy before we reach the limits imposed by “one country, two systems”. From Beijing’s perspective, two red lines must not be crossed: a declaration of independence and the use of Hong Kong as a base for subversion on the mainland.
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