Members of the Eighth Term Legislative Council are Ready to Take Office

The newly elected members of the Legislative Council have completed their oaths on January 1 and will offer advice and suggestions for the development of Hong Kong and the well-being of citizens over the next four years.

Mr. Nicholas Chan, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Nicholas Chan of the legal functional constituency believed Hong Kong should grasp the development advantages brought by the national 15th Five-Year Plan under the principle of "one country, two systems" and integrate into the development of the country. He said that society needs to continue to implement many deepening reforms in the future, including improving the legal and business environment in Hong Kong, to attract more enterprises to develop in Hong Kong.

As for dealing with the aftermath of the Tai Po fire, Mr. Chan said that the problems caused by the fire should be solved one by one as soon as possible. Besides helping the disaster victims, he hoped that a maintenance bureau could be established, providing an option for the corporations. The maintenance bureau can empower them to invite experts to conduct tenders and supervise the process, so that the corporations would not have to worry about whether there would be any violations that they couldn't notice.

Mr. Aaron Bok, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Aaron Bok of the engineering functional constituency said that the next key emphasis in work after the fire disaster ought to be the resettlement of the victims. He believed that the government would propose related plans, collect the victims' opinions via the social workers per household, and provide options for the victims to choose from, so that a balance between comforting victims' emotions and implementing regulations could be achieved. Besides, he thought that the new legislative council could discuss how to prevent similar incidents from happening and improve related systems in the future. He pointed out that his primary tasks during the term of office would be assisting in improving the development of Hong Kong's economy and the Northern Metropolis, thinking about how to enhance the quality of infrastructure and citizens' lives.

Regarding the candidate for the President of the Legislative Council, he believed that "it's always good to have competition in elections". In his eyes, the overall ability would be the key factor for the president's selection, since the one who can be the president must have the strongest abilities in all aspects.

Mr. Stanley Ng, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Stanley Ng of the Hong Kong Island East geographical constituency said that the oath-taking process was quite smooth. He also pointed out that the election of the President of the Legislative Council would be implemented in accordance with the procedures. He believed that various factors would need to be considered when selecting the president. For instance, the qualifications would be an important factor for consideration.

Mr. Michael Lee, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Michael Lee of the Election Committee thought that the members of the Legislative Council should think through their own minds about how they can do better for the Legislative Council, Hong Kong, the country, and the relationship between the executive and the legislative. He said that the role of the President of the Legislative Council is not merely that of a president. Instead, he or she should inform the public about the future development direction and main features of the Legislative Council through his or her own words and behaviour.

Mr. Mark Chong, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Mark Chong of the New Territories North West geographical constituency said that he would focus on studying the issue of building management to make it better reflect the thoughts of the citizens. He pointed out that since some contractors have stopped working after the Tai Po fire, it is necessary to pay attention to how to handle the projects that have already been underway. He believed that the government needs to reach an agreement with the contractors resolutely, so that corporations and owners could clearly know whether they need to find new contractors to resume the projects.

Ms. Elaine Chik, Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Elaine Chik of the Hong Kong Island East geographical constituency said that the Legislative Council would discuss post-disaster reconstruction in the following stage, including related legal issues, major repair works, and bid rigging, etc. She hoped that the above issues could be handled during the term of office.

Mr. Duncan Chiu, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Duncan Chiu of the technology and innovation functional constituency said that he was grateful for the votes that had enabled him to be re-elected as a Legislative Council member. He hoped that since innovation and technology would be an important factor for Hong Kong's development in the future, all the members of the Legislative Council could work together to promote and support the development of the innovation and technology sector.

Prof. William Wong, Photo by Bastille Post

Prof. William Wong of the Election Committee said that the new Legislative Council has a lot of work ahead, especially the alignment with the national 15th Five-Year Plan and dealing with the aftermath of the Tai Po fire incident, both of which are of great significance. He mentioned that he would also focus on the development of innovation and technology, since a large proportion of the 15th Five-Year Plan's content is related to innovation and technology, and the HKSAR government also wants to contribute to developing the city into an international innovation and technology hub.

To encourage ethnic minorities to vote, the government has specially set up ethnic minority polling stations in areas where they live to facilitate their voting. Some ethnic minority voters are very satisfied with such election arrangements. Many of them hope that the newly elected legislators can pay attention to the issues of ethnic minorities and help to improve their well-being.

The polling station of Kowloon Park Sports Centre set for ethnic minorities to vote, Photo by Bastille Post

As-Sakay (middle) and his friends, Photo by Bastille Post

As-Sakay from the Muslim community came to the polling station of Kowloon Park Sports Centre to vote. He said that the voting experience was "perfect". Everything was well arranged, and the voting time was quite short, with a smooth process. He was particularly satisfied that the voting time could be extended to 11:30 p.m., considering it more convenient than before.

Moreover, he thought it was quite good that the government had set up a polling station specifically for ethnic minorities in Kowloon Park this year. Since the polling station was close to his residence, it was very easy for him to come and vote.

The polling station of Kowloon Park Sports Centre set for ethnic minorities to vote, Photo by Bastille Post

When asked about his criteria for choosing voted candidates, As-Sakay said that what he would be most concerned about was whether the candidates could truly help to improve the well-being of ethnic minorities rather than just merely making promises. For the next four years, he hoped that the newly elected Legislative Council members could bring more substantive assistance and benefits to Hong Kong and ethnic minority communities, making everyone's life better.

Uthman Yang, the Imam of the Islamic Union of Hong Kong, Photo by Bastille Post

Uthman Yang, the Imam of the Islamic Union of Hong Kong, encouraged ethnic minorities to actively participate in voting during an interview with Bastille Post. As for him, his selection criteria for voted legislators are to be capable, hardworking and pragmatic. He hoped the newly elected legislators could offer valuable advice and suggestions to the government and come up with good policies. He wished the government would formulate some preferential policies for ethnic minorities to help them improve their livelihoods and employment. For instance, in terms of education, the legislators can help them integrate into Hong Kong society, as learning Chinese would be a challenge for them, and they would also face language barriers when looking for jobs in Hong Kong.

The Islamic Union of Hong Kong, Photo by Bastille Post

In addition, there are 300,000 Muslims in Hong Kong, which evokes a great demand for religious venues. Currently, there is a shortage of such venues. Uthman Yang hoped that the government could enhance its support in this regard. In his eyes, the composition of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong is rather complex, involving people coming from different countries. He hoped that the government could pay more attention to their requirements, enabling ethnic minorities to integrate into Hong Kong society and contribute to the prosperity of Hong Kong.

Syed, Photo by Bastille Post

The Indian, Syed, was very satisfied with the voting arrangement this year, describing it as "terrific". His entire voting process was completed in about three minutes. He said that the guidance at the polling station was quite easy to understand, and the related staff all had a very good service attitude.

Syed has lived in Hong Kong for over 24 years. Regarding his selection criteria for voted legislators, he said he would support those who truly care about the Hong Kong residents, especially the ethnic minorities. For the next four years, he sincerely hoped that the newly elected Legislative Council members would pay more attention to the needs of ethnic minorities, especially those from the Indian community, and continue to take good care of their well-being.

Batra Gulbir Singh, Photo by Bastille Post

There is also a considerable number of Sikhs in Hong Kong. Batra Gulbir Singh, in his eighties, has been living and working in Hong Kong for 40 years as an accountant. For the new Legislative Council members, he hoped that they could help Hong Kong turn into a more harmonious society.

Batra Gulbir Singh came to the polling station set for ethnic minorities in Wan Chai to vote, Photo by Bastille Post

He also hoped that the newly elected legislators could assist ethnic minorities in the aspect of education. He mentioned that a kindergarten, which was specifically set up for ethnic minorities, was relocated earlier due to the requirement of project construction. As for now, he hoped that the kindergarten could be moved back into the Sikh Temple to save rent.