There was a time when government officials would dread having to answer questions in the Legislative Council. Pan-democrat lawmakers – and even the occasional ‘pro-business’ one – would maul them if the quality of governance was failing to match public expectations. Then LegCo became ‘all-patriot’, and the chamber’s members embraced a new role: universally supporting the executive branch, rather than holding it to account. At least, 99.9% of the time.
Yet ministers are still not happy. Perhaps, with opposition politicians, media and civic groups all pretty much vanished, top officials’ skins have become thinner and more sensitive. Indeed, the sharp words and pointed questions that were once a daily part of the job have become ‘incitement’ or at least ‘soft resistance’. Even the mildest suggestion that the executive branch is at fault might be met with shock and outrage. Some legislators are so upset that they complained to the chamber’s president…
Hong Kong Legislative Council president Starry Lee Wai-king has urged officials to respect lawmakers’ dissenting views amid a recent rise in government pushback, stressing that public policies “always have pros and cons”.
…Lee said she had relayed lawmakers’ concerns to the government regarding officials’ recent rebuttals. She described the relationship between the executive and legislative branches as an ongoing process requiring mutual respect from both sides…
Her remarks came after several recent incidents in which government officials publicly rebuked lawmakers. These included the Department of Health criticising legislator Chris Ip Ngo-tung, without naming him, for raising concerns about the ban on alternative smoking products, accusing him of “spreading false information and misleading the public and visitors” in April.
…“I call on different stakeholders, including government officials, to respect the diverse views of legislators. In fact, there is never a policy with only one voice,” Lee said, urging officials to engage lawmakers proactively when encountering opposing opinions.
When do you last remember a Hong Kong lawmaker being critical of the administration?
China Media Project on Beijing’s preparations ahead of June 4…
The deep sensitivity surrounding the juxtaposition of International Children’s Day and June Fourth means that for the Chinese Communist Party, this will be a week of profound and insistent amnesia. And part of that act of erasure is the noisy affirmation of the party’s power over the future of China’s youth.
Who would have imagined that when you prioritize blind obedience over intelligence, competence and critical thinking skills, you’d get more of the former and none of the latter?
Dear me, denigrated by officials, mocked by the community.
The inevitable reality of an unrepresentative and rubber stamp legislature.