By Tu Haiming

Over the past few months, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has led his governing team to attend dozens of online and offline consultation sessions to solicit opinions and suggestions from all quarters of society for his Policy Address (PA). Apart from meeting up with professional sectors and district organizations, he often engaged in face-to-face dialogue with local communities to ensure the PA meets the development needs of Hong Kong. Lee asserted that it is a prime time for the city to focus on economic development and improving people’s livelihoods. Hong Kong needs more participants, entrepreneurs and businesspeople to collaborate with the government to innovate and implement changes with new ideas. Therefore, he attaches great importance to every comment he has solicited for further consideration.

Since Hong Kong’s return to its motherland, it has become an established practice for the CE to announce an annual PA that sets out the incumbent administration’s development vision as well as policy measures on matters of public concern, such as economic development, livelihoods and governance. Public consultation has been a major channel for gauging public opinions and sentiments, and members of society also see PA consultation as a valuable opportunity for them to participate in policymaking.

The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China identifies the whole-process people’s democracy as an essential element of Chinese-style modernization. The process of formulating the PA of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region already encompasses the fundamental elements of whole-process people’s democracy, while manifesting the unique characteristics of Hong Kong’s governance.

The whole-process people’s democracy entails at least three significations. First, all sectors, quarters and strata of society should participate in the democratic decision-making process; and in particular, efforts should be made to ensure the participation of the socially vulnerable and underprivileged groups. Second, the masses must be given the right to take part in the process, be it an initiative of national significance or a micro policy on people’s livelihoods. Third, the democratic process should include a system of democratic elections, democratic decision-making, democratic administration and democratic supervision.

In Hong Kong’s case, the PA formulation process has the involvement of a full range of participants including HKSAR deputies to the National People’s Congress, HKSAR members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, political organizations, chambers of commerce, civil associations, think tanks, members of the Legislative Council and district councils, and the general public.

The content of the PA is all-encompassing, and public opinions are substantially rich, covering a wide range of topics from innovation and technology, financial investment, boosting consumption, culture and tourism to tackling the problem of subdivided units, the public housing shortage, integration into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, youth development, education reform, medical and healthcare, and more.

Under the Basic Law, Hong Kong has established a complete democratic process, including democratic elections, democratic decision-making, democratic administration and democratic supervision. Public consultations on the PA fall under the category of democratic decision-making, an important part of the whole democratic process. Lee has regarded public consultation on the PA as an important element of policymaking ever since he took office. As the SAR government explores more ways to solicit public opinions, the public has also become increasingly active in democratic participation, reinforcing a positive cycle.

Democracy that truly works is one which involves the public in realizing democracy.

When democracy first emerged in ancient Greece, citizens were involved in everything from elections to decision-making, administration and supervision. Since the end of World War II, Western democracy has placed too much emphasis on “competitive elections” while neglecting and weakening other parts of the democratic process. As a result, voters are only called upon during elections, and they have few opportunities to exercise their democratic rights after elections. Ultimately, policymaking in many countries is being hijacked by politicians representing large interest groups.

China’s whole-process people’s democracy attaches importance to the process of democracy, during which citizens participate in elections, decision-making, administration and supervision. Consultative democracy, for example, involves discussions before, during and after the decision-making process.

In Hong Kong’s case, all quarters of society and members of the public are involved in the PA formulation. In the past two years, the SAR government has announced the framework of the PA, and invited the public to offer suggestions on each policy direction.

Indeed, whole-process people’s democracy with Hong Kong characteristics requires the participation of every resident. In due course, the city will carve a path that aligns with “one country, two systems” and its actualities

Residents can make use of the city’s well-developed communications network to express their views. The two-month consultation period also gave everyone sufficient time to put forward their ideas.

The emphasis on the whole process of democracy is a manifestation of cooperative governance underpinned by collaboration, broad participation and shared benefits. Sharing the same fundamental interests, the public, which is both a participant and beneficiary of social governance, works in conjunction with the government to realize the greatest benefits for the society. The emphasis on the whole process of democracy thus enhances the quality of democracy.

President Xi Jinping has emphasized that “the essence of the people’s democracy is that the people get to discuss their own affairs” and there is a need to “develop complete procedures and practices to enable the people’s broad, continuous, and intensive participation in day-to-day political activities”.

On the Chinese mainland, elections are only one way for citizens to exercise their democratic rights; there are other channels to participate in decision-making, administration and supervision.

In Hong Kong, public consultation on the PA is an illustration of people’s right to participate in policymaking. Recent findings by think tanks reveal that the issues of most concern in Hong Kong are land and housing shortage, weak local consumption, and how Hong Kong can maintain its distinctiveness and internationalism.

These three issues are crucial to Hong Kong’s prosperity and development. With the public offering potential solutions to these issues for the betterment of the city, it embodies the true spirit of genuine and effective democracy. The concept of “always act for the people and rely on them in everything we do” is fully manifested in the public consultation of the PA.

In December 2023, Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, asserted that everyone in Hong Kong has the responsibility to improve their home city. Every resident is part of the constructive force for building a better Hong Kong.

Indeed, whole-process people’s democracy with Hong Kong characteristics requires the participation of every resident. In due course, the city will carve a path that aligns with “one country, two systems” and its actualities.

The author is vice-chairman of the Committee on Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the Hong Kong New Era Development Thinktank.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of Bauhinia Magazine.

Source: China Daily