Councillor Hits Out At Government 'hostility'

Wan Chai district council chairwoman, Clarisse Yeung, has accused the government of turning the district councils into a hostile battleground. Yeung, who was first elected in 2016, said council meetings had become more intense since the camp dominated last year's district council elections, taking control of 17 of the 18 councils.

Speaking to RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong, she pointed the finger at uncooperative officials.

"This year has been hugely challenging for all the district councillors, especially the new ones," Yeung said.

"Despite having more members than the pro-government camp in the district council, the government’s uncooperative - at times aggressive - attitude towards the democratic councillors made the district council a hostile battleground."

Government officials have often walked out of district council meetings, claiming some items on the agenda are outside the authority of the councils.

But Yeung said the 2019 district council election had given councillors legitimacy.

"With voter turnout at 71 percent, we took control of the council in 17 districts," she said. "We gained the legitimacy in a council that represents the people, yet it became the target of the government later."

Yeung said Hong Kong was now in decline. She said this was due to government decay and not to, what she described as, the political awakening of the citizens.