Policy Address
Fully Implementing the New Electoral System
9. Following the passage of the decision on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR by the National People’s Congress (NPC) in March this year and the adoption of the amended Annex I and Annex II to the Basic Law by the Standing Committee of the NPC on 30 March, the HKSAR Government has spared no effort to take forward the relevant work with the co-operation of the LegCo, and completed the necessary procedures on time, such as enactment of local legislation and relevant voter registration arrangements. The Election Committee Subsector Ordinary Elections, the first elections after improving the electoral system, were successfully held on 19 September. The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB) will work closely with the Electoral Affairs Commission to ensure that the two upcoming elections, namely the Seventh Term LegCo Election and the Sixth Term Chief Executive Election, are conducted in a fair, open and honest manner in accordance with the law, thereby fully implementing the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong”. By drawing on our experience, we will improve the polling arrangements and take forward various enhancement measures. In light of the COVID-19 epidemic, the CMAB is also actively examining proposals to enable Hong Kong electors in the Mainland to cast their vote in the LegCo Election to be conducted in December.
Strengthening Education on the Constitution and the Basic Law
10. To ensure that the “One Country, Two Systems” principle is fully and accurately implemented, we must adhere to the Constitution and the Basic Law. The Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee will continue to take forward publicity and public education on the Basic Law through diversified approaches, whilst the Secretary for Justice is planning to host a Basic Law conference and publish the Basic Law: Selected Drafting Materials and Significant Cases in April next year. On education at the school level, the Citizenship and Social Development subject has been introduced to replace the Liberal Studies subject starting from Secondary Four in the current school year, with “Hong Kong under ‘One Country, Two Systems’ ” as one of the three themes of the subject. I found this an excellent start when I visited a secondary school to observe a lesson in early September. To enable teachers of the Citizenship and Social Development subject to have a better grasp of the constitutional status, powers and functions of the Chief Executive under “One Country, Two Systems”, I have proposed to the Secretary for Education that I myself can give a class to teachers who are interested.
11. More channels should be provided for public education work. Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), as a public service broadcaster, should play an active role in promoting the Constitution and the Basic Law, so as to fulfil its public purposes and mission under the Charter of RTHK, which include promoting public understanding of the implementation of “One Country, Two Systems” in Hong Kong, as well as engendering a sense of citizenship and national identity. In this regard, I have expressly requested the Director of Broadcasting to follow up.
