The concerning spike of Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong has sparked talk of a possible election delay for Hong Kong's legislative council in recent days, an issue highlighted by former Security Sec. Lai Tung-Kwok, and possibly discussed by the government. Ken Moran explores the possibility of this happening.
According to the South China Morning Post, the Chief Executive met with her cabinet on Tuesday to discuss this possibility, but so far no agreement was reached, SCMP said. In addition, in an interview with Lai Tung-Kwok, he recommended looking at delaying the elections due to the inability to meet social distancing guidelines, as well as the clear health risk. These have all suggested the very real possibility of an election delay.
Evidently, this move, were it to happen, is bound to spark anger for the opposition and foreign governments, who have their eyes on Hong Kong (despite a massive global pandemic), with accusations the government is using the pandemic to delay elections, citing the fact that other elections have been able to take place, and that this is just another tactic to undermine democracy.
However, there are a few points to be made here. The Constitutional Affairs Committee at the legislature commissioned a report in 2013 on the actions that needed to be taken in case of, say, a global pandemic. The report cites the 2001 UK local elections, when Prime Minister Tony Blair delayed elections in response to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, as well as Australian state electoral laws that allow for sudden delays. The precautionary arrangements this report showed recommended, among other things, 'postponement of a general election'. So, it's clear everyone's agreed controlling the spread of a virus should be a priority, as important voting may be.
If the elections are delayed or introduced in a different manner from the past, it will doubtless be a very controversial move. However, we must be aware that public safety, no matter what our political views are, must come first. If anything, it allows the opposition the opportunity to find news ways to reach audiences, and even more time to electioneer and campaign.
Ken Moran is the Deputy Editor of HX News
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