Let's Play By Their Rulebook: Pro-Beijing Councillor

A district councillor says he's going to be able to focus his attention on serving residents of his constituency now he and his colleagues have been stripped of their power to help select the city's chief executive, and it's time for Hong Kong to play by Beijing's rulebook.

The Liberal Party's Jeremy Young said on Wednesday that he "didn't really mind" that the central government has eliminated the district councillor seats on the chief executive election committee, which in future will also nominate and choose lawmakers.

"It's something that we have to accept and I really do support it because at the end of the day residents chose us to represent their district – not to represent them voting for the chief executive," the Central and Western councillor told RTHK.

"First and foremost, as a district councillor, our first priority is to serve daily residential livelihood issues ... that responsibility has not changed at all."

Young also said that district council meetings held last year were "disastrous", with "severe overstepping of authority and responsibility by members" and he hoped that Beijing's overhaul of the electoral system will help "restore order".

"Why don't we just... play by their rulebook a bit. I think that's what Hong Kong needs now," Young said.

He added that while some people might find the idea of a new vetting committee for election candidates to be "scary", he definitely doesn't.