21 December 2020
A recent striking change in Hong Kong’s TV programming is the transformation of Legislative Council broadcasts. Where previously we tuned in to recurring episodes of “clown hall” we now find ourselves viewing comparatively calm and serious discussion. Gone are the unbecoming stunts of fruit and paper throwing and political posturing, interspersed with rowdy pushing and shoving, including instances of brazen physical intimidation: More boring, yes, but a welcome switch and a return to normalcy.
But we have also lost realistic counter-arguments from opposition members in the LegCo chamber. These were often fiery and sometimes knee-jerk but they could shine a sharp light when the opposition chose to engage in serious debate. Almost all those members have now gone, following the four members who were disqualified out the door. Opposition politicians have repeatedly allowed fervor to take over from good sense. They have done so again with this walkout.
In fact, we need to see a return of robust debates once the delayed LegCo elections are held. We do not, however, need a return to the juvenile continuous disruptions and gratuitous hostilities that marked LegCo as the most dysfunctional governance institution in the HKSAR over the last decade... Click here to read the full text.
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