Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy party has omitted calls for universal suffrage in its policy suggestions for the government, marking a departure from previous years when the party urged enshrining voting rights in its annual recommendation.
The Democratic Party held a press conference on Wednesday to announce its suggestions ahead of the upcoming Policy Address. In a Chinese-language copy of the proposal given to reporters, a section on political reform was noticeably absent.
Politics was briefly mentioned in the introduction instead, which stated that the government should “make serious efforts to change its governing methods and strive to create a societal atmosphere that is open, inclusive and has free speech.”
Hong Kong should also not rely solely on the central government and must “strive for improvement… to ensure the happiness and well-being of residents,” the introduction read.
In previous years, the Democratic Party included appeals for voting rights that would allow the public to elect the city’s leader and Legislative Council members as part of its proposals.
Last year, the party said the government should fulfil its responsibility of opening the city’s elections to the public.
“Whether it’s the Chief Executive or Legislative Council elections, [the government] should enhance the influence that citizens have and make them feel that their vote can affect the development of Hong Kong,” the 2022 proposal read.
Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, states that “the ultimate aim is the selection of the Chief Executive by universal suffrage upon nomination by a broadly representative nominating committee in accordance with democratic procedures.”
Responding to a reporter’s question in Cantonese on Wednesday, chairperson Lo Kin-hei denied that the change showed that the Democratic Party was trying to evade the topic.
Lo said the content related to politics was moved to the introduction because it described the city’s “background,” and that many things happening in the city were “revolving” around it.
“If the Democratic Party wanted to avoid talking about matters relating to the constitution, we wouldn’t have written it in the introduction,” Lo added.
The Democratic Party is the city’s largest opposition party. Before a Beijing-decreed overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system in 2021, the Democratic Party held seven seats in the 70-seat legislature.
A number of ex-Democratic Party lawmakers were among the 47 democrats charged under the national security over their involvement with a primary election. Some were denied bail and have been on remand for over two years.
In recent years, the party has run into difficulty finding restaurants to host its events. Last week, it had to call off a fundraising dinner at the last minute after a venue cancelled its booking, with Lo saying he believed it was related to political pressure.
The party has also said it had struggled to arrange meetings with top officials in recent years ahead of the Policy Address and the budget announcement, when political groups would traditionally be consulted by the government.
Tourism, housing suggestions
The Democratic Party’s suggestions were shared in the lead up to the city’s annual Policy Address, when the chief executive makes major announcements about plans for the coming years. Measures for attracting talent to Hong Kong and the building of temporary accommodation for people awaiting public housing were among the plans announced at the address last year.
This year’s Policy Address will be held on October 25.
On Wednesday, the Democratic Party raised a list of policy suggestions in areas ranging from tourism to education to animal rights.
On the topic of tourism, the party said the government should do more to attract overseas visitors to Hong Kong. Lo cited figures from authorities showing that mainland Chinese tourists made up almost 85 per cent of visitors in the city in August.
“We think the government should consider how to attract more overseas tourists, not just mainland Chinese tourists,” Lo said, adding that tourists who stayed for a longer duration were more important for boosting the city’s economy.
In its proposal, the party called on authorities to give up the controversial Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands project. The reclamation plan has been criticised for its costliness and potential ecological impacts, and raised questions about whether it was in the interest of Hong Kong people.
The government should also speed up its project to build public housing on the Fanling Golf Course, the Democratic Party said.
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