Postponing Vote 'deprives People Of Their Rights'

Opposition figures were quick to speak out against the possible delay to this year's Legco election, following reports that the government is considering postponing the vote for a year because of Covid-19.

The convener of the pro-democracy camp in Legco, Tanya Chan, accused the government of using the pandemic as an excuse for putting off the poll. She also warned that doing this would create many constitutional problems, such as the way lawmakers perform their duties.

"Without a sufficient or profound medical basis, I'm sure most people will assume that the decision is purely based on political agenda, instead of any practical and medical reasons," she said.

The Civic Party lawmaker says it would be premature to make any decision, with the vote still more than a month away.

She also said many other countries held elections during the pandemic, so there's no reason why Hong Kong can't do the same.

A co-founder of the 2014 Occupy protests, Chan Kin-man, says a delay in the Legco vote would mean the government doesn't respect the political rights of the people.

"This is the most peaceful and systematic way for Hong Kong people to express our views," the former associate professor of sociology at the Chinese University said. "No way that the government can take away this right so easily."

He warned that it would send a bad message to the international community and set the stage for more sanctions against Hong Kong and China.

Across the political divide, pro-establishment lawmaker Paul Tse said postponing the election appears to be inevitable because it doesn't seem likely people will be able to vote in a safe environment due to the pandemic.

While the Legco Ordinance empowers the Chief Executive to postpone the polls for up to 14 days, Tse said this probably won't be enough, and suggested a year instead.

"Once you postpone it, it would take some time to start the engine rolling again. So, considering the preparation time would normally take at least two to three months, postponing it for six months would not make much practical sense. So I'd think perhaps a year would be a more balanced option," he said.

He said the National People's Congress Standing Committee could step in and help set up a provisional legislature in the interim, allowing current members to carry on with their duties.