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Hong Kong Legco election 2021
OpinionComment
Robin Hibberd
Robin Hibberd

Opinion | Flawed Legislative Council election still the best way to get Hong Kong back on track

  • It is understandable that people are sceptical and worried about how they will be governed
  • While the election had its imperfections, the promise of better political discourse and a sense of normalcy at least provide a silver lining

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Poll workers count votes on December 20 following the Legislative Council election. Getting beyond the election might give the city breathing space to begin to address festering social issues like affordable housing and economic disparities. Photo: Dickson Lee
Robin Hibberd

As I approached my polling station to vote on Sunday morning, I was taken aback by the presence of at least a dozen police milling around the entrance. Some were clad in bulletproof vests.

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Having never voted in a Hong Kong election in the past, I was unsure if what I was seeing was typical or a show of force reflective of a disquieting “new normal” in our city.
Somewhat to my relief, the police presence turned out to have been inflated by members of the security detail for Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, who had arrived to vote at the same time as me. It seems the police were not there to intimidate. I relaxed as I entered the building.

My sensitivity to the unexpected police presence at the polling station was symptomatic of the paranoia afflicting Hong Kong these days. Recent turmoil has seen the populace, along with much of the world’s media, looking for sinister meaning in every pronouncement and action. This weekend’s election was but the most recent event to draw the spotlight.

Given what has transpired in recent years, it is understandable that the people of Hong Kong are sceptical and more than a little paranoid about how they can expect to be governed in the years ahead.

04:05

Hong Kong elections: How much do people know about the Beijing-revamped Legislative Council polls?

Hong Kong elections: How much do people know about the Beijing-revamped Legislative Council polls?

This election, despite its imperfections, was nevertheless the best opportunity in a long time to move forward. It was an opportunity for Hong Kong and its people to get on with their disrupted lives, get beyond the poisonous politics of recent years and to get pressing social and economic issues moved up the agenda.

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