Mak: new-look councils to offer wider range of views
Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak said on Saturday that new-look district councils would offer a wider range of opinions, with councillors still able to object to government policies.  She was commenting on a government plan announced on Tuesday to reduce the proportion of councillors elected by the public to less than 20 percent, with others appointed or picked by various committees.  Speaking on a radio programme, Mak said the committees would provide another channel for those who wish to serve the community to join the 18 councils, including young people. "There's only been a single voice in the district council since 2019, which has been raising objections. We need different voices and rational discussion," she said. "This does not mean you can only agree with the policies. We think that councillors should still raise objections in a rational and orderly way." Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang, meanwhile, said there are limitations in choosing councillors via direct election. "Many professionals, patriots and those willing to serve the community may not choose to join through elections. The public is unable to elect these people," Tsang said. "So through appointing them, in accordance with the situations in the districts and community development, we can allow more people to participate in district councils." The deputy justice minister, Horace Cheung, added that the bodies are unable to perform their constitutional function now, as some people have been taking advantage of the way the councils are presently constituted. "The existing district council cannot fulfill the objectives as stipulated in Article 97 of the Basic Law. The proposal is trying to fix the problem, and I hope that the district council can return to what it should be under Article 97," he told an RTHK programme. The Basic Law sets out that the district councils should be consulted by the government on district administration, and provide services in such fields as culture, recreation and environmental sanitation.  Cheung added that he hoped legislative changes could be concluded before the Legislative Council's summer break, ahead of the district council polls later this year.