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Shades Off | Even with lacklustre Legislative Council election, a huge to-do list awaits the winners
- Days before the poll following Hong Kong’s electoral reforms, there’s little excitement in the air
- In the absence of disruptions to Legco proceedings, newly elected lawmakers will be expected to solve some of Hong Kong’s most intractable problems, starting with housing
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Hong Kong should be in the grip of election fever. The “improved” electoral system put in place by Beijing will ensure, we have been told, that the city can finally get done what the broken process before would not allow.
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But, even though voting for the Legislative Council election is just days away, I don’t feel excitement in the air. There aren’t any heated discussions on the streets or in the media of the virtues of the various candidates and whether the platform of one is better than the other. I’m assuming that’s because only patriots are allowed to stand and that, regardless of who wins, a rosy future has been promised for the city.
That is, at least, the message officials are bombarding us with. They have stressed the significance of Sunday’s election and that it is important we all vote. But this is a poll like none other I’ve experienced. There aren’t people lining up to interact with candidates and I really couldn’t tell whether one is better than the other based on their campaigning.
Previous polls appeared to offer greater diversity of opinion – understandable, given that we don’t all think alike. We vote for the candidate who best represents us.
Without adequate choice, measures on offer to mobilise voters, like free public transport, will be in vain. The atmosphere may have been dampened by a belief among some people that the poll is a sham.
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Hong Kong to hold first Legislative Council polls after Beijing's overhaul of electoral system
Hong Kong to hold first Legislative Council polls after Beijing's overhaul of electoral system
All those standing for election have gone through a vetting process to determine if they are patriots who love the country and aren’t a threat to national security.
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