HK In Grave Need Of Governance Reform: DAB

The pro-Beijing DAB party on Sunday said it would tap the public for ideas on governance reform that would create a stronger and more responsive administration that can more effectively tackle deep-rooted problems in the SAR.

It says the territory has regained stability following the imposition of the national security law last year, setting the stage for a ‘rational debate’ on how government works.

The party said perfecting Beijing’s vision of ‘patriots ruling Hong Kong’ – a sentiment President Xi Jinping has stressed is critical to ensuring stability and prosperity here – would also strengthen governance in Hong Kong.

And it stressed that people must understand that Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy as promised in the Basic Law is not at all in conflict with Beijing’s desire to exercise ‘comprehensive jurisdiction’ over the SAR. Both – it said, are fundamental pillars of the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle.

On a more concrete note, DAB chair Starry Lee said the administration is in grave need of reform to cut red tape, enhance efficiency, and make the government more flexible and responsive.

"We have been fighting the coronavirus for over one year. Still, we can see there's a lack of strong co-ordination [within government],” Lee said.

“I think that's not something about a person – it's the overall system that we want to look at in order to improve.”

Lee said besides the introduction of the accountability system for politically appointed officials brought in almost 20 years ago, there have been no major changes to the government structure since the handover.

One idea is to link the performance of civil servants to the success of their policies.

"We would like to make civil servants more responsible for the policies and for building a better society,” Lee said.

DAB vice chairman, Holden Chow, meanwhile, again urged Hong Kong to follow the UK in introducing a Judicial Conduct Investigations Office, to improve the complaint mechanism against judges.

The party said there should also be reforms to the government’s social welfare system citing the large wealth gap in the SAR.

The party says it will reach out to people to seek concrete ideas for reform – both through the internet and by mobilising its community volunteers.