August 11th, 2020
The DAB supports the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) on the Sixth Legislative Council to extend the term of all members for no less than one year.
The government has decided to postpone the 2020 Legislative Council general election for a year. We regarded it as a necessary decision to protect public safety and public health of Hong Kong people as well as prevent and control the severe COVID-19 epidemic situation. As a matter of fact, many elections have been postponed across the globe due to COVID-19. The NPCSC’s decision has been made upon full consideration of such exceptional circumstances and in accordance with the report submitted by the SAR government. The decision was also in conformity with the law and the interests of Hong Kong society as a whole, fully resolving the issue of the lacuna in the legislature arising from the postponement of the election. This is a very important decision in regards to the normal operation of both the HKSAR government and the economy as it is a vital prerequisite for Hong Kong to focus its resources and fight the pandemic, revive the economy and improve the standard of living of the general public.
We hope that in the upcoming year various parties in LegCo will safeguard the overall interest of Hong Kong and ensure the proper functioning of the LegCo so as to effectively vetting various laws, funding and economic and livelihood policies regarding the prevention of the epidemic. We also call on the HKSAR government to review and perfect election arrangements to ensure the election scheduled for September next year will be conducted openly and fairly.