'Patriots administering Hong Kong' should be social consensus: renowned doctor

HONG KONG -- "Patriots administering Hong Kong" is not something new and should be the consensus of Hong Kong society, Chow Pak-chin, a famous ophthalmologist and president of think tank Wisdom Hong Kong, said.

Chow, starting his medical career over 30 years ago, pointed out "Hong Kong has been seriously ill for a long time" at an interview with Xinhua, citing the 2014 illegal "Occupy Central" movement and the social unrest over the proposed amendment bill in 2019.

"If the opposition camp continues to advocate the 'mutual destruction,' Hong Kong will be on the verge of 'death,'" he said.

Chow made the remarks after the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, started last week deliberating a draft decision on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

The decision is necessary and comes at the right time, Chow said.

As anti-China disruptors have been using electoral loopholes to take into their hands the power to administer the HKSAR, it is an urgent task to close the loopholes ahead of the upcoming elections of the Legislative Council (LegCo) and Chief Executive, Chow said.

"Patriots administering Hong Kong" is fully justified, he said. "It is impossible for an unpatriotic person to manage a place of the country well."

After the electoral loopholes are plugged and the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" is implemented, the HKSAR government will be able to focus on resolving deep-seated problems in education, health care and housing, Chow said.

Chow is also glad to see Hong Kong is included in the draft outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for national economic and social development.

Hong Kong should actively integrate into the national landscape, seize the opportunities in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and strive to develop into an international center for innovation and technology, he said.