Former District Councillors: Hong Kong District Council Elections to Become a Thing of the Past

Yau Tsim Mong District Council Meeting in June 2019. Max/The Epoch Times

The current District Councils in Hong Kong expire at the end of 2023. Chief Executive (CE) John Lee Ka-chiu first responded to whether the District Councils should be retained or abolished when he attended the Legislative Council Q&A session on July 6. “If necessary, a decision should be made, and a plan should be set up before the next election.” He added that he would examine the “inefficacy, damage, and problems” of the current system, implying that District Council elections may become a thing of the past.

The Epoch Times interviewed three former District Councillors. All of them expect the government to abolish all elected District Council seats and replace all members of the district administrative advisory bodies with appointees instead.

All to be Decided Before the Next Election

On July 6, John Lee attended his first Legislative Council Q&A session. A Member of the Election Committee for the Legislative Council, Andrew Lam Siu-lo, asked, “What specific plans and timetables are there for the reform and arrangement of the local administration?” Lee replied, “A real decision and plan must be in place before the next election of the District Councils, if any are needed. We will examine all our past experiences, the problems that had occurred in the failure or even destruction of the entire system in the past because we must comply with the requirements of the Basic Law, and see how Hong Kong can form an effective regional administration.”