Opinion | Why Hong Kong must not be hasty in seeing off its ‘silver’ officials

I think we should be bracing ourselves for a wave of disgruntled legislative councillors, and it might not end there. If a Legislative Council stalwart goes out the door, could an Executive Council heavyweight be far behind?

Every day seems to bring news of another of our 89 legislative councillors not seeking re-election this year, with more than a dozen already pulling out of the race. In some instances, the legislator claims plausibly to wish to pursue other career or life objectives. That does not appear to be the case for others, though, so is it legitimate for the public and the media to ask whether they jumped or were pushed?

To qualify as a candidate, an individual must navigate a lengthy process during the nomination period, which runs from October 24 to November 6. It has been generally believed that only candidates “blessed” by Beijing can secure the necessary signatures, although Beijing’s top office overseeing the city’s affairs recently denied that there is such a thing as a “blessing” for candidates. We will know who is definitely out long before polling day on December 7, though we will not know who is successful in the likely few contested constituencies until Election Day.

At the time of writing, of the serving legislators who had indicated they would not seek re-election, eight are already in their 70s and a ninth Martin Liao Cheung-kong, is 68. This has led some to speculate that an informal age limit of 70 is being introduced, albeit without any announcement.

On Wednesday, Louis Loong Hon-biu, who represents the real estate and construction functional constituency, joined the ranks of those opting not to seek re-election. On Friday, lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun who represents the New Territories North West constituency, said he was considering stepping down.

The most prominent Legislative Council member to breach the purported age mark is Executive Council convenor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who is 75. Ip is the leader of the New People’s Party, which has indicated it will issue a statement on its plan for the Legco election at an appropriate time.

A fan group celebrates lawmaker Regina Ip Lau’s 75th birthday in Causeway Bay on August 24. The celebration, organised by a Facebook group of supporters, drew a sizeable and enthusiastic crowd outside Causeway Bay’s Sogo department store. Photo: Dickson Lee

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