​Bernard Chan: Engage the young in policymaking

NationalPeople’sCongress(NPC)deputyandExecutiveCouncilorBernardChan

(CHINADAILY)

HongKong’sestablishmentshouldchangethewayittriestoengageyoungpeoplefromthebeginningofthepolicymakingprocessinordertoreducedeepsocialdivisions,NationalPeople’sCongress(NPC)deputyandExecutiveCouncilorBernardChansaid.

Thepopularityofthe“localist”causeamongyoungerpeopleinHongKonghassparkedconcernfromthecity’sdelegatesattendingthetwosessionsinBeijing.Someexpressedfearsaboutthethreatofseparatism.OthersrevisitedoptionstoimproveHongKongstudents’senseofnationalidentity.

InanexclusiveinterviewwithChinaDaily,Chanlamentedthatthecommunityhasheardenoughexplanationsonwhathasgonewrongorwhatthesolutionsare.“Notthatwedon’thavetheanswers—infactwehavealltheanswers,butwecandelivernone,”hesaid.

Proposedlanduseconversionstoboosthousingsupplyhavefacedcourtchallenges.Policyinitiativeshavealsostruggledtowinthesupportofyoungerpeople.Chanfoundthatyoungpeoplegenerallybelievedthegovernmenthadnotdoneenoughfortheirvaluesandinterests.

Chanrefrainedfromblamingyoungpeople,acceptingtheywerepronetoidealisticmodesofthinkingduetoalackofreal-worldexperience.“Beingidealisticshowstheycare,whichIthinkisagoodthing.Butthequestionishowtoturnthatcareintosomethingexecutable.”

Theconceptionofthemunicipalsolidwastechargingproposalsofferedavaluablelesson,addedChan.Heoversawthepublicconsultationastheheadofthecouncilforsustainabledevelopmentcomprisingvariousstakeholders—includingenvironmentaladvocates.

Advocatesareusedtopushingforcauses,butnotsomuchtogettingthingsdone.Chanrecalledagreengrouprepresentativewhospentalongtimeinanearlymeetingventingconcerns.“Itoldhimtodrawupanexecutableplan.Henolongermadelengthyspeechesthereafter,”hesaid.

Thewastechargingplanhassofarmetlittleresistance.Apartfromanearlyengagementofallstakeholders,theoverflowinglandfillsalsogaveallcouncilmembersashared,sharpsenseofurgencytoagreeonasolutionquickly,hesaid.

Moregovernmentpoliciesshouldbeconceivedbottom-uplikethewastechargingscheme,Chanadvised.Youngpeoplemustbeengagedfromthebeginning,hesaid.

Likethegreenadvocates,youngparticipantscanlearnaboutthedelicatebalancingactoncetheyhavetodeliversomething.

Manygovernmentpoliciesonlyseekpublicviewstowardtheendofthepolicymakingarc.“Itonlygetsworseifyoungpeople’sviewsarerejectedintheconsultation,”hesaid.

Thebottom-upmodelmaynotproduceaverydifferentresult,butyoungpeoplewillfeelasenseofownershipandthattheyhaveasayintheprocess.Chanbelieveshousingisagoodstartingpoint.

Chanalsoencouragedcommunityleaderstoavoidthrowingfuelontothepoliticalfire—asharshwordscanbackfire.

“Mostpeopleinourcityarepragmatic.Buttherearealwaystwoextremes.Ifourcommentsgooverthetop,someofthosepragmaticpeoplemayseeitasprejudiceorlipservice,andchoosetheotherside,”hesaid.“Idon’tthinkweneedtodeliberatelyarguewithcertainpeople.”

DiscussingtherecentMongKokriot,Chansaidcommunityleadersmustdisplayafirmstanceagainstlawbreakersandarsonists.Thiswasapointwhichwaslargelyagreedonbytheopposition.ButChanadvisedagainstassociatingthecauseoftheriotssolelywithyoungpeopleandeducation.

NPCStandingCommitteeChairmanZhangDejiangonMarch6urgedthecitytoconcentrateonitseconomy.Lesstalkof“separatism”,Chansaid,shouldhelptheestablishmenttomarginalizeadebatethathasessentiallyputthespotlightonaverysmallfactionofextremists.

ChanrulesoutCEbidin2017

ThemanwhoofferedideastoengageandcommunicatewithHongKong’syouthhasinsistedinvariousinterviewsthatheisnotconfidentenoughtorunforHongKong’stopjobinayear’stime.ExecutiveCouncilorBernardChansaidinaTVinterviewthathewouldnotconsiderabidinthenextfiveto10years.

AnyonewhostepsintotheshoesofChiefExecutiveLeungChun-yingwouldinevitablyfaceangryyoungpeople,saidChan,whoisalsoanNPCdeputy.“ManypeopletoldmetogoaheadbecauseIhaveseeminglysettledmanydisputes.Ididachievethatfrommypositionnow,butIwouldgetdifferenttreatmentintheCE’spost.”

PeoplewhoanticipateFinancialSecretaryJohnTsangChun-wahrunningforChiefExecutivewouldlikelybedisappointedtoo.Veterancivilservantsarepronetoblindspotswhenlisteningtothepublic—theonlydifferencebeing“whentherewasahoneymoonperiod”,explainedChan.

TheChiefExecutivespeaksforHongKongandforthecountry,henoted.Maintainingthisbalancehasprovedtobeadifficultmission,sothat“anyonebeingtheCEwillgetintotrouble,”Chansaid.Itwasmoretroublingthatfewersocialeliteshadshownaninterestinpolitics.ThepublicadministrationofHongKongneedsalargerpoolofcompetentpeople,headded.