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Universal suffrage in Hong Kong

Letters | New HK Express fare option gives travellers more choice

Readers discuss the benefits of HK Express’ new baggage policy, why now might be the best time to reconsider the 2014 universal suffrage proposal, the need to foster intellectual curiosity, and the challenge of waste-reduction efforts.

20 May 2024 - 11:30AM

Letters | 3 bold ways within our reach to lift Hong Kong

8 May 2024 - 2:30PM

Opinion | Hong Kong is ready to have one person, one vote for chief executive

3 Apr 2024 - 10:27AMvideocam

Letters | Why UK should treasure chance to interact with Hong Kong legislators

Readers discuss the UK’s branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association withdrawing an invite to Hong Kong legislators, and the US extending ‘safe haven’ status to Hongkongers.

1 Feb 2023 - 11:30AM

Chief executive John Lee attends a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Council on October 20. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Opinion | Hong Kong’s ‘new chapter’ under John Lee calls for reflecting on past

People would welcome a fresh start, but we must acknowledge it has not been an easy journey since 1997. The changes of recent years, including the introduction of the national security law and political reform, have created uncertainty about the future.

1 Jul 2022 - 9:15AMvideocam

Opinion | How John Lee can raise the bar for Hong Kong

Chief executive candidate John Lee has promised ‘results-oriented’ leadership and vowed to build a more competitive and politically stable city if he is elected. To deliver, he would need to make government ministers more accountable, encourage integration with the Greater Bay Area, and take steps towards universal suffrage.

13 Apr 2022 - 12:45PMvideocam

Opinion | Hong Kong must wake up from its blind faith in universal suffrage

In its search for the best governance model, China has come to prize social stability as a prerequisite for the good life. Meanwhile, Hong Kong should open its eyes to evidence that democratic elections elsewhere have not delivered the good governance people crave.

13 Feb 2022 - 9:45AM

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People walk past a banner showing the way to a polling station on December 19 last year, during Hong Kong’s Legislative Council election. Photo: Felix Wong

Opinion | With patriots in driving seat, Hong Kong is pointing in the right direction

The group of Hongkongers who championed democracy without regard to the Basic Law and the underlying concept of ‘one country, two systems’ cannot be seen as patriots.

12 Feb 2022 - 9:45AMvideocam

Unpacking the white paper on ‘Hong Kong democracy’

Analysts say official document and campaign marks part of a strategy to capture what Beijing sees as moral high ground on Hong Kong’s democracy.

28 Dec 2021 - 10:44PM

Anti-democracy US is ‘plagued’ with social problems, Hong Kong official says

US-style democracy is undermined by high levels of violent crime, drug abuse and racism, John Lee says.

24 Dec 2021 - 12:23AMvideocam

Beijing and Hong Kong officials have accused the US of trying to impose its version of democracy on others. Photo: Reuters

Opinion | White paper underlines Hong Kong’s shift away from Western-style democracy

It was not until Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty that its democratic development truly began. With Beijing’s support, Hong Kong is developing a democratic system that suits its circumstances.

23 Dec 2021 - 6:45AMvideocam

The white paper on Hong Kong’s democratic progress, released on December 21, paints the true picture of its development since 1997. Photo: Dickson Lee

How serious is Beijing about universal suffrage in Hong Kong?

Only non-establishment candidate to win Legco seat in Sunday’s poll among those saying Beijing white paper is positive step towards full democracy.

22 Dec 2021 - 8:48AMvideocam

Letters | Legco election: Hongkongers must speak up through the ballot box

Readers discuss the first election post-reform, slam a Shanxi school for focusing on pupil backgrounds, note lessons from warring Scandinavia and Europe for today’s leaders, call for Covid-19 to be made a priority into next year, and suggest a theme song for G20 talks.

13 Nov 2021 - 6:30AM

Letters | Hongkongers moving to Canada for democracy are in for a shock

Readers discuss the poor choice of candidates in Canadian elections, a proposed law to ban alternative smoking products, the rise in myopia among children amid the pandemic, and television coverage of the Paralympics.

8 Sep 2021 - 7:05AM

Friends and relatives take photos before boarding a London-bound flight at Hong Kong airport on August 8. Photo: EPA-EFE

Opinion | Order! Order! What to expect from elections for a reformed legislature

Understandably, Beijing lost patience with lawmakers’ antics that left Legco unable to function, but the pendulum on political reform has swung too far. Order will be restored, but killing hope for the future is not good for stability in the longer term.

22 Aug 2021 - 1:30PMvideocam

Lawmaker Abraham Razack (bottom centre) is surrounded by other legislators during a meeting on the Fugitive Offenders Bill at the Legislative Council on May 11, 2019. Beijing lost patience with the shenanigans in Legco. Photo: Edmond So

Shades Off | A ‘colour revolution’ in Hong Kong or peaceful protests hijacked by radicals?

To represent the movement that brought thousands to the streets seeking justice as an attempt to wrest power from the authorities is to ignore reality. In the current political climate, poorly defined national security red lines can easily be abused.

15 Jun 2021 - 7:56AMvideocam

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Opinion | Let’s rebuild Hong Kong society, and put people’s happiness first

Restructuring Hong Kong could be disruptive, but the city can afford to take some short-term pain for long-term gain. The entrenched elite fail to see that a rejuvenated Hong Kong would achieve new heights of prosperity.

9 Jun 2021 - 7:26AMvideocam

Opinion | Is democracy in decline, retreat or under siege? More a work in progress

Democracy depends on the quality of institutions. It alone does not ensure that the government will be any better in delivering outcomes than any other arrangement, such as autocracy.

8 May 2021 - 8:16PMvideocam

Demonstrators flash the three-finger salute and carry placards calling for democracy during an anti-military-coup protest in Mandalay, Myanmar, on April 26. Photo: EPA-EFE

Letters | Beijing is sincere about ‘one country, two systems’, just not infinitely tolerant

For 23 years since the handover, pan-democrats have freely criticised Beijing. The central government intervened when the opposition crossed a red line, but does not want to destroy Hong Kong.

30 Apr 2021 - 6:55AMvideocam

Opinion | Criticism of Hong Kong electoral reforms has no legal grounds

The revamp is aimed at synthesising a new democratic electoral system best suited to Hong Kong’s actual situation and with Hong Kong characteristics. The ultimate aim of universal suffrage, as promised in the Basic Law, remains unchanged.

9 Apr 2021 - 8:30AMvideocam

Letters | Why I support Hong Kong’s return to ‘democratic elitism’

Beijing’s electoral reforms take Hong Kong back to the system that worked so well in colonial times, with everyone free to criticise the government but only outstanding individuals allowed to govern

6 Apr 2021 - 6:45AMvideocam

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor receives her second vaccination dose at the government headquarters in Admiralty on March 22. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Opinion | Hong Kong election reform: Beijing demands loyalty because trust is lacking

Hong Kong’s pursuit of democracy has ended up in this sorry state because the opposition failed to build trust with Beijing. Only when loyalty is not in dispute can Hong Kong create a space for democratic experiments.

19 Mar 2021 - 9:15AMvideocam

Opinion | In patriot-governed Hong Kong, ‘one country, two systems’ is assured

Beijing’s decision to improve Hong Kong’s electoral system will ensure its stability and the healthy development of democracy.

15 Mar 2021 - 1:00AMvideocam

Letters | Why Hong Kong should not be obsessed with democracy

10 Feb 2021 - 6:20AMvideocam

Opinion | Debate over chief executive election is missing the point

Hong Kong should keep the practice of electing its leader, even if it is by a small committee, in view of its inherited mix of Western political values and Chinese cultural norms. But a leader’s performance is not contingent on how he or she is selected.

2 Feb 2021 - 6:46AMvideocam

Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor celebrates after winning the Hong Kong chief executive election in March 2017, after receiving 777 of the 1,194 votes cast. However a leader is chosen, what truly matters is the extent to which he or she is responsive to people’s needs, especially the most disenfranchised. Photo: Robert Ng

Letters | Why I still have faith in Hong Kong after all the turmoil

A sustained belief in democratic and liberal institutions continues to distinguish Hong Kong from the rest of China, regardless of assimilation efforts.

10 Jan 2021 - 7:00AMvideocam

The statue of a golden Bauhinia blakeana, the symbol of Hong Kong, is seen behind a barricade while the city and national flags fly in the distance at the Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai on January 7. Photo: Bloomberg

Letters | Before asking for democracy, we must live up to its values

2 Jan 2021 - 6:45AM

Opinion | Again, political reform is left out of Carrie Lam’s policy address

The plans announced on housing and boosting financial services and tourism are welcome, but the address has several serious omissions. A major missed opportunity was one that has haunted Hong Kong – the lack of a plan to move the city towards the promised goal of universal suffrage.

30 Nov 2020 - 4:00AMvideocam

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Universal suffrage in Hong Kong

According to a National People's Congress Standing Committee resolution in 2007, Hong Kong's chief executive may be elected by universal suffrage. Pan-democratic lawmakers and pro-democracy activists in the city vehemently opposed an election framework passed by Beijing on August 31, 2014, arguing it failed to reach international standards for a truly democratic and open election.

last updated:

9 September, 2024