Brian Y. S. Wong

Opinion | With national security law in place, Hong Kong’s centrists should now seek universal suffrage

As both ends of the political spectrum wage an ideological war, centrists must articulate a cogent, progressive and reformist vision to fix the long-standing governance problems, and stand up for the city’s values

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Protesters display a banner saying: “I want universal suffrage” during a march on July 1, 2016. Pro-establishment lawmakers have insisted that a lack of national security was the primary factor holding Hong Kong back from “deserving” universal suffrage. Photo: AP

Brian Y. S. Wong

Published: 10:45am, 2 Aug 2020Updated: 11:00am, 2 Aug 2020

As the decades of disillusionment with the political establishment in Hong Kong came to a head over the past year, the room for centrism has seemed, at best, minimal. At worst, it appears to be a broken promise worshipped by a dwindling, deluded crowd.

The track record of centrists has not been too reassuring, either. Some of the more vocal advocates had joined the establishment with the apparent mission of incorporating into governance milder and more progressive opinions, only for the administration to see its worst political crisis post handover.

Others have struggled under an electoral system that historically rewarded entrenched partisan polarisation – as opposed to the tepid rhetoric and seemingly ambiguous stances of centrists.

The closest the city ever got to having centrists in power was probably when former financial secretary John Tsang Chun-wah ran for chief executive in 2017. Tsang, a Western-educated, impeccably groomed bureaucrat turned heavyweight, lost the bid with 365 votes out of the 1,200-strong electoral committee.

To tread the centrist line without succumbing to the pressures of joining the establishment or becoming a yes-man to the powers that be is inherently difficult. Centrist candidates flounder in elections favouring populist rhetoric and ideological grandstanding, and fuelled by established political and economic interests within the city.

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More than 610,000 vote in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition primary elections

More importantly, the temptations of accessing formalised power are too irresistible amid stifled politics. To top it off, political loyalty seems to trump competence and merit as the basis for appointment to lead the city – for centrists to effect change, they must get one foot in the door. Doing so may well require them to compromise on certain issues and accept increasingly stringent red lines.