Newly-elected HKSAR lawmakers set for long to-do list

HONG KONG, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- For Lillian Kwok, the improved electoral system allows her to enter the Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and voice for the next generation and frontline teachers.

Kwok, a registered teacher, is a new LegCo member returned by the Election Committee constituency in the just-concluded seventh-term LegCo election of the HKSAR.

She said that some LegCo members in the past had been playing with politics, making it hard for the voices of education practitioners to be heard within the council.

The HKSAR on Monday unveiled its new lawmaker lineup after successfully holding its first legislative election under an improved electoral system, a major step toward getting rid of past political quagmire and fast-tracking solutions to Hong Kong's deep-seated problems.

Ninety elected lawmakers, standing out from a total of 153 candidates from different backgrounds and across the political spectrum, will sit on the seventh-term LegCo of the HKSAR.

As a teacher, Kwok wishes to push forward changes for Hong Kong's education with her experience. "Apart from teaching children the correct national concept, we also have to cultivate talents in our next generation in line with the development of the country," she said.

Kwok is echoed by Steven Ho, who is elected by the agriculture and fisheries functional constituency. Ho said that intense political disputes shrouding Hong Kong in the past years had drowned out the voices of various sectors, leaving functional constituencies unable to perform their original functions.

"After the improvements of Hong Kong's electoral system, the LegCo has returned to normalcy, allowing members from all sectors to cooperate on a rational basis," Ho said.

Jan. 1, 2022 will be the commencement date of the seventh-term LegCo of the HKSAR. The newly-elected lawmakers are ready to get down to business as soon as possible, and implement their election platforms to address issues of public concern.

The election is well-received by Hong Kong residents. According to an opinion poll conducted after the election by Bauhinia Institute, a Hong Kong-based think tank, around 70 percent of the respondents think that the new-term LegCo can better represent the overall interest of the Hong Kong society and are confident that the new LegCo members will promote good governance and perform their duties in accordance with the law.

Under the impact of COVID-19, workers in various industries are having a hard time, with some losing their jobs. Dennis Leung, member of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, plans to urge the government in introducing more temporary jobs in order to assist unemployed workers in need.

Leung, who will be working in the LegCo for the first time, hopes that new LegCo members will work together to focus on Hong Kong's entrenched problems related to people's livelihood.

Stanley Ng, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions and newly-elected LegCo member from the Hong Kong Island East geographical constituency, expressed his wish to race against time in making up for the wasted time in the past LegCo sessions.

"We will strive to address the conflicts underlying in the Hong Kong society with concerted efforts within the LegCo," Ng said.