St.

Rose of Lima’s College

F.2 Life and Society 2021-2022

Introductio
n: civic
CIVIC = 公民(citizen)
Module 6 : Government and I

Q1: What are your opinions towards the government?

(2)I think the government should try another way to solve the problem for example the omicron
(12)I think the government needs to hear more about the citizens' thinking, ideas and concerns.
(20) I think the government should follow up the problems of poverty.

consultation(諮詢)
Q2:How can you communicate your opinions to the government?
(3) I think we can find the legislative council members in our district to say what our opinions are then they will help us talk with the government.
(13) I think we can directly communicate with the government by attending a public hearing or meeting.
(14)I think we can say to parliamentary first,let parliament ask government

Step1: What are my opinions towards the government?

Government My
op
Step 2: How can I let the government know my opinions?

What is civic participation(公民參與)?

Civic participation refers to citizens’ channeling different views and securing their interests in the
decision-making process. It includes all forms of participation that address the interests of citizens.
They help to collect and channel views of their members, user groups
and concerned citizens. Civic participation provides important values
and opinions to the government, enhancing the quality of policies,
create an open and democratic society, enhance accountability(問責制)1
and transparency(透明度)2 and assist the government to act in the public interests.

Part 1: Elections
A. What is an election?

An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population (i.e. eligible electors3)

chooses a government representative in a representative democracy. In Hong Kong, we have direct
elections4 for both the District Council and the Legislative Council while indirect election for the
Chief Executive.
What are the responsibility of Electoral Affairs Commissions5 and the importance of fair, honest
and clean elections in Hong Kong?

The Electoral Affairs Commission is responsible for monitoring the

elections of the Chief Executive, Legislative Council and the District
Council so as to ensure that they are conducted in an open, fair and honest manner.
⮚ From the perspective of political development, protecting fair, honest and clean elections helps
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Accountability: 問責
2
Transparency: 透明度
3
Direct election: 直接選舉
4
Indirect election: 間接選舉
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Electoral Affairs Commission: 選舉管理委員會
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 elect people with capabilities to fill the public posts_. They can look for the best welfare for the general
public. Also, it strengthens people’s confidence in elections. They would participate in elections and other
political affairs more actively.

Who are the eligible voters?

● Hong Kong permanent_ residents
● Aged _18__ or __above____
● Registered as __voters__
⮚ They can enjoy the right to vote and to be elected in the __District Council_ and the _Legislative
Council___ elections.

B. What is the importance of fair, honest and open elections?

Exercise 1

1(a) What is the improper behavior of the candidate6 for Chairperson of Class
Association?
He bribes his classmates to vote for him by offering books/ privilege to them.

(b) What are the negative impacts of improper behavior?

Bribery leads to unfairness. This will encourage other candidates to bribe as well. So, the election would become meaningless→
fails to choose the best representative to represent the class

2. What is the importance of protecting fair, honest and open elections?

To choose the most capable candidate to represent the class/ the society
To reduce corruption and abuse of power.
To ensure the best use of the social resources which are the most beneficial to the public.
To increase the confidence of people to actively join political affairs.

C. How to be a good elector?

Below are the profiles of 3 candidates in the 2021 Legislative Council (LegCo) election: Geographical Constituency - New Territories South East. Read their
profiles and write down their strengths.

Candidate No. (1) Name: Choi Ming-Hei (蔡明禧)

Age: 30
Occupation: Vice Chairman of Sai Kung District Council
Political Affiliation: Non-affiliated Independent Candidate(獨立無黨
派候選人)
Education: Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Hawaii
Election Platform: Committed to fight for democracy and serve local
residents first
Candidate No. (2) Name: Lee Sai W ing, Stanley (李世榮)
Age: 38
Occupation: NGO Executive Director
Political Affiliation: Democratic Alliance for the Betterment

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Candidate: 候選人
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 and Progress of Hong Kong (民建聯)
Education: Master in Public Administration, Jinan University

Election Platform: Determined to serve and improve the community

Candidate No. (3) Name: Lam So Wai, Connie (林素蕙)

Age: 33
Occupation: Registered Social worker

Political Affiliation: Professional Power Limited (專業動力有限公

司)
Education: University of New South Wales, Australia
Election Platform: Committed to fighting for social mental well-being and
multiculturalism

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Write down the strengths of the candidates in the following table.

Candidates Strengths of the candidate

(19) He is 30 years old which is the youngest one between them. He can represent
1 the young people.
(21)He has studied at university so he has a high education to commit to fight for
democracy.

(5)His original job is a NGO Executive Director, which is simply related to the job he
2 is competing for. Also, he has the spirit of improving the community.
(16)He has a high education level and is determined to help.

3 (18)She is a social worker, so she can communicate with citizens well.

(20)She has a high education background.

1. What would you consider when choosing a Legislative Councilor?

a) Brainstorm 5 considerations with your groupmates and put them in rank (1 = most important).
b) Explain why the consideration is important for choosing a good councilor.
(e.g. Education background(4), relevant working experience(2), political platform, social status, age, gender, experience in community services(1) etc)

Consideration Rank Why is it important?

A good counselor should have good knowledge on how

Education background 3 to communicate and participate in social affairs
* Knowledge leads to rational and sensible decision

If a person is very experienced, he/she is familiar with

relevant working experience 2 the operation of the LegCo. → can do their duty more
efficiently

Political platform is very important to show the

candidate’s ambition / mission / ideas to the citizens. So
political platform 5
that the citizen can understand them more → vote for
them

if they are in a certain level of social status → they can

social status (4) represent that level → fight for more resources/ rights
for them → gain acceptance and support

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 experienced → familiar with the operation → they
experience in community services 1 know what the community needs/ lacks of → help to
fill in the gap between community and government.

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The Political Structure of the HKSAR under the Basic Law
(http://www.basiclaw.gov.hk/en/basiclawtext/chapter_4.html )
1. Executive (行政): The Chief Executive (行政長官), The Executive Council (行政 $會 1 議) and
The Administration (行政體制)
2. Legislature (立法): The Legislative Council (立法會)
3. Judiciary (司法): The Judiciary (Court of Final Appeal 終審法院 and other courts and tribunals)

Role of different political structure (http://www.gov.hk/en/about/govdirectory/govstructure.htm)

Executive
1) The Chief Executive (行政長官)

He/she is the head of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. He/she is elected by a broadly representative election committee (具有廣泛代表
性 的 選 舉 委 員 會 ) in accordance with the Basic Law ( 基 本 法 ), and is appointed ( 委 任 ) by the __Central People’s
Government___ (中央人民政府). The Chief Executive is responsible for _implemententing____ the Basic Law, signing __bills (法
案 ) and budgets ( 財 政 預 算 案 ), _promulgating_ ( 公 佈 ) laws, making decisions on government policies and issuing
_Executive order_ (行政命令). He is assisted in policy making by the Executive Council.

Selecting the Chief Executive

According to the Basic Law and Annex I, the Chief Executive shall be elected in
accordance with the Basic Law by an Election Committee which is broadly
representative, suited to the actual situation of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (HKSAR), and represents the overall interests of society.
Improve Electoral System in 2021: Election Committee
On 30 March 2021, Annex I to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China Concerning the Method for
the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
was amended at the Twenty-Seventh Meeting of the Standing Committee of the
Thirteenth National People’s Congress.
The number of members of the Election Committee was increased from 1,200 to
1,500

Ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8czHoujCkc&t=20s

2) The ___Executive Council___ (行政會議)

It is presided over by the Chief Executive, decides on matters of policy, the introduction of bills to the
Legislative Council and the drafting of subordinate legislation (附屬立法). The Council comprises _16_ principal
officials (官員 ) and _14_ non-official members ( 非官守成員 ). All members are appointed by the Chief Executive from among the
senior officials of the executive authorities, members of the Legislative Council and public figures.

3) The Administration

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The main administrative and executive functions of government are carried out by _13_ policy bureaus (決策局) and _61_ departments (部
門) and agencies (機構), staffed mostly by _civil servants (公務員

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 Information Searching(homework): Find the details of Principal Officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Secretaries of Departments Name of the Principal Officials Directors of Bureaux Name of the Principal Officials
Chief Secretary for Secretary for Constitutional
政務司司長 (1)李家超 John Lee Ka-chiu 政制及內地事務局局長 (11)Erick,Tsang Kwok-wai
Administration and Mainland Affairs

Financial Secretary 財政司司長 (2)陳茂波 Paul Chan Mo-po Secretary for Education 教育局局長 (12)Mr Kevin Yeung Yun-hung

Secretary for Justice 律政司司長 (3) Ms. Teresa Cheng Yeuk Wah Secretary for Security 保安局局長 (13)Mr. Tang Ping-keung

Secretary for Food and

食物及衞生局局長 (14)Professor Sophia Chan Siu Chee
Health
Secretary for the Civil
公務員事務局局長 (20)Mr Patrick Nip Tak-kuen
Service

Secretary for Home Affairs 民政事務局局長 (21)Mr.Caspar Tsui Ying Wai

Secretary for Labour and

勞工及福利局局長 (22) Law Chi Kwong
Welfare
Secretary for Financial (7)Christopher Hui Ching-yu
財經事務及庫務局局長
Services and the Treasury 許正宇
(8)黃偉綸 Michael Wong Wai-
Secretary for Development 發展局局長
lun
Secretary for the
環境局局長 (9)Wong Kam-sing （黃錦星）
Environment
Secretary for Transport and
運輸及房屋局局長 (28)Frank Chan Fan
Housing
Secretary for Commerce and
商務及經濟發展局局長 (29) Yau Tang Wah 邱騰華
Economic Development
Secretary for Innovation and Alfred Sit Wing-hang（薛永
創新及科技局局長
Technology 桓）

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 B. Legislature (http://www.legco.gov.hk/chinese/education/teach_sheets.html)
The Legislative Council ( __LegCo___ , 立 法 會 ) is the law-making body of the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region. Apart from its law-making function, the LegCo _debates__ issues of public interest, examines (審核)
and approves ( 通 過 ) __budget_ , receives and debates the Chief Executive's policy addresses ( 施 政 報 告 ), and endorses the
__appointment _ and _removal_ (任免) of the judges of the Court of Final Appeal ( 終審法院) and the Chief Judge of
the High Court (高等法院首席法官).

Composition of Legislative Council: Improve Electoral System in Legislative Council in 2021

■ The number of seats of the Legislative Council is increased from 70 to _90__. Seats for the _Election Committee__ is added.
■ The 90 seats in the Legislative Council are distributed in proportions of __40,30,20__.

Election Committee (EC)

20 seats

Functional Constituencies
40 seats (FC)

Geographical Con-
30 seats stituencies through
Direct Elections (GC)

Election Committee (EC, 40 seats)

The EC members shall, on the basis of the list of nominees(被提名者), cast their votes by _secret ballot (無記名投票). A ballot paper is only valid
if the number of votes contained in the ballot paper is equal to the number of members to be returned. The 40 candidates who obtain the greatest
number of votes shall be returned in the election.

Functional Constituencies ( _FC_, 30 seats)

Electors of each of __28 constituencies_(28 professions)_ shall elect the LegCo Member of their respective constituency by secret ballot (無記名
投票).

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 Geographical Constituencies through Direct Elections (GC, 20 seats)
It is in the form of __universal suffrage_ (普選). The whole Hong Kong is divided into _10 constituencies_ geographically, each of which
comprises four to eight seats based on the system of proportional representation. Eligible residents can vote for the representatives of their
districts.

Hong Kong Island East

Hong Kong Island West
Kowloon East
Kowloon West
Kowloon Central
New Territories South East
New Territories North
New Territories North
West
New Territories South
West
New Territories North East
Candidate Eligibility Review Committee
■ A candidate eligibility review committee of the HKSAR is established.
■ Responsible for assessing and validating the ___eligibility__ of candidates in the Election Committee, Chief Executive and LegCo elections.
Based on the opinion issued by the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of HKSAR (Committee on National Security) to determine
whether to validate the eligibility of the candidates.

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C. Judiciary (司法)
The judiciary is __independent__ from the legislative and executive branches of government, with the courts showing no bias (偏見). For the most
serious types of criminal offences, a jury ( 陪審團 ) decides whether the accused is guilty or not, with a majority vote
required. The Court of Final Appeal ( 終審法院) is the highest appellate court ( 上訴法院) and is headed by the
Chief Justice (首席法官).

Class Activity:
Classify the following socio-political issues into Executive (E), Legislature (L) and Judiciary (J).

Socio-political issues Category

1. Introducing bills7 to the Legislative Council (8) E

Deciding whether to approve the $540 million funding plan to save the
2. (11) L
Ocean Park from bankruptcy
Judging whether the protesters in the anti-extradition bill movement
3. (12) J
are guilty or not

4. Approving the proposal for lengthening the maternity leave (16) L

5. Approving the Budget8 2020-2021 (17) L

6. Distributing free face masks to Hong Kong citizens (14) E

Handling Cheung Chau resident Kwok Cheuk-kin’s judicial review

7. (22) J
case

Knowledge Box
Separation of power

In western countries, the separation of powers 9 is a model for the governance10 of a state. Under
this model, the state is divided into branches, each with separate and independent powers and
areas of responsibility so that no one branch has more power than the other branches.
The normal division of branches is into an executive, a legislature, and a judiciary. In Hong Kong,

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Bill: 法案
8
Budget: 預算案
9
Separation of powers: 三權分立
10
Governance: 管治
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 Chief Executive said there was no “separation of powers” in the city’s executive-led political
system, but insisted there was nonetheless judicial independence and a clear division of work
between different branches of the administration.

Universal suffrage

Universal suffrage refers to the right to vote for all adult citizens as a whole, regardless of their
sex, wealth or occupation.
In the Basic Law, articles 45 and 68 mentions that the final goal of our election is by universal
suffrage. For the election of Chief Executive, he/she should be elected by universal suffrage after
nominated by a broadly represented nomination committee. For the election of the Legislative
Councilors, all members should be elected by universal suffrage. The universal suffrage mentioned
in these 2 articles means common and equality (普及平等). In other words, one man one
vote.

Article 45 of The Basic Law

The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall be selected by election
or through consultations held locally and be appointed by the Central People's Government.
The method for selecting the Chief Executive shall be specified in the light of the actual situation in
the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and in accordance with the principle of
gradual and orderly progress (循序漸進的原則). The ultimate aim is the selection of
the Chief Executive by universal suffrage (普選) upon nomination by a
broadly representative nominating committee (廣泛代表性的提名委員會) in
accordance with democratic procedures.

Article 68 of The Basic Law

The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall be constituted by
election.
The method for forming the Legislative Council shall be specified in the light of the actual situation
in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and in accordance with the principle of gradual
and orderly progress (循序漸進的原則). The ultimate aim is the election of all
the members of the Legislative Council by universal suffrage (普選).

Part 2: Decision-making Process of the Government

A. The characteristics of decision-making process of the government

The decision-making process of the HKSAR Government has the following characteristics:

1. Decision-making process The decision-making of the government has to follow a

with procedures set of procedures. It cannot make decisions easily.
(Executive & Legislature)

2. Open legislation process The examination and passing of the ordinance(law) are
(Legislature) open to the public. There are clear voting systems.

3. Consult ( 諮詢 ) public The government consults the public on important

opinion policies and ordinances. This allows different
stakeholders ( 持 分 者 -related people) to have
sufficient channels and opportunities to express their
opinions, and therefore participate in the decision-
making process of the government. The government
can win support from the public by helping them
understand the main points of the policies and
ordinances.

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B. Decision-making process of the government
The formulation and decision-making of public policy has established procedures and mechanisms. The following flow chart gives an overview:
3. The government
1. There is a social proposes a detailed
problem the 2.The government
plan after considering
government needs to drafts initial plans and the public opinion
solve. consults the public

Legislation
is needed 4. The Chief
6. The LegCo 5. The bill ( 法案 ) Executive and the
examines, debates would be passed over to Executive Council
and votes on the bill the LegCo examine and approve
the proposal

7. A bill becomes a 8. Government 9. The proposal

law after it is passed departments execute the becomes a
policies and laws government policy
once it is approved

C. Channels for expressing and collecting opinions

CLASS ACTIVITY: How can I participate in public affairs?

The government has announced that it will subsidise students with financial difficulties to go
on study tours. It is now _consulting the public_ on the eligibility, the subsidy amount and
the type of tours to be included in the scheme. Jane and some of her classmates from poor
families hope that the scheme can make their dreams to go on study tour come true.
Therefore, they have decided to gather together and voice their opinions to the
government…

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 If you were Bobo, how can you express your opinions?
Method 1: Method 2:
Respond to the Send a letter to the editor
consultation paper of a local newspaper
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the above methods?
Method 1 (using the
consultation paper):
Advantage: (8)they have a
lot of people to help maybe
government will listen to
their opinion_
→ This is an official
channel of
communication between
citizen and the public_
Disadvantage: (18)Not 100%
people will see your response
→ the opinion collected is
just personal ideas → not
professional reports → may
be the government would
not take into
consideration
________________________
________________________
C.2 Advantages and disadvantages of using different channels to express and collect opinions (Hints: Think in the
following directions- effectivenss, feasibility, coverage, environmentally-friendly, cost(time cost, resource cost, human cost)…)
Channels Advantages
Government 1. Easy, fast and convenient
Department (everywhere is accessible to
webpage network)
(email, hotline 2. Active and direct way of
or letter) expression of opinion
3. Can express opinion detailedly
4. Environmentally-friendly
5. Use less human resources
Public 1. government can explain the
consultation policy clearly → public can
have more details → better
understanding
2. Active way and comprehensive
way to collect ideas from the
public
Demonstration 1. can draw attention from the
public and gain support
Method 3:
Send a petition letter ( 請
願信 ) to a government
official
Method 2: Method 3:
Advantage: (4)_newspaper Advantage: _(7)lt can let the
allows people to know all the government clearly know
news and the circumstances what people need, so the
of society. government could make
→ if the opinion is changes _______________
published in the Disadvantage: (27)
They may not reply the message
newspaper → easier to gain
→ this is actually an
support from the public
aggressive way to explain
Disadvantage: (24)_As there
ideas → the government
are too many newspapers
produced everyday, maybe may not accept it ______
the government can’t see it ________________________
or the editor doesn’t accept ________________________
your submissions__________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
Disadvantages
1. Network problem e.g. system
overload / server broken down
2. Not suitable for people who do
not know how to use the
network (elderly/disabled)
3. Uncertain that the
government would reply?
they got the message? → no
interaction at all
1. Consume a lot of resources/
time/ money to arrange a
consultation
2. some people may use
anonymous name → cant
trace / validate those
comments
3. Comments received may not
represent the majority of the
citizen
1. consume a lot of resources
(e.g. policemen)
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 2. can draw attention from the
government + give pressure
→ government promptly
react to public opinion
3. a direct and easier way to
express opinion esp. for those
who are not good at writing
4. is suitable to express different
general needs
Political party 1. Direct and effective in passing
opinions to related gov
department
2. More people can join → more
organised and comprehensive
opinion
3. more professional discussions
District 1. well-established channel that
Councilor ensure opinion is passed
2. More professional discussion
3. convenient for the public to
find the councilor nearby easily
Internet (other 1. Environmentally friendly
than 2. Enable sharing and discussion
governmental of opinions freely
webpage) 3. Fast and convenient for people
who know how to surf the net
to use and express their ideas
4. anonymous
2. affect the city’s image → show
the inability of the
government
3. affect the social order (noise
pollution + traffic jam →
affecting the quality of life of
the citizen)
1. opinion may be selectively
passed to the gov according to
the party’s standpoint
2. may lead to more arguments
among parties having different
standpoints –> chaos
1. May involve a lot of
procedures → problems may
not be solved quickly
2. consuming time and money
and human resources
3. district councilor may not be
free all the time
1. Indirect
2. Not suitable for people without
access to the network
3. may be network problem
4. opinion may be easily affected
by others
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