This Jan 12, 2022 photo shows the Chamber of Legislative Council during the inaugural session of the new LegCo. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

The Hong Kong legislature on Thursday passed a bill to overhaul the city's district-level advisory body in a bid to help the derailed body refocus on its duties — advising the special administrative region government on district governance.

The District Councils (Amendment) Bill 2023, which offers a reform package to redefine district councils' functions and composition, and establishes new mechanisms to punish any misconduct of district councilors, was approved unanimously by 88 lawmakers at the Legislative Council meeting on Thursday.

The unanimous passage of the amendment marks a major step in the SAR government's plan to revamp district governance, and enables the new term of district councils, which will be formed at the end of this year and will take office on Jan 1, 2024, to better focus on duties of supporting the SAR government in district administration

The unanimous passage of the amendment marks a major step in the SAR government's plan to revamp district governance, and enables the new term of district councils, which will be formed at the end of this year and will take office on Jan 1, 2024, to better focus on duties of supporting the SAR government in district administration, which is also spelled out in Article 97 of the Basic Law.

According to the reform package, the new term of district councils will consist of 470 seats. Among them, 88 members will be returned by geographic polls, 179 will be appointed by the SAR government, and 176 will be elected from among members of district committees, including area committees, district crime fighting committees and district fire safety committees. 

The remaining 27 seats will be filled by ex-officio members from the New Territories’ rural committees, which is consistent with the existing arrangement.

The amendment also seeks to introduce a performance monitoring mechanism to punish the misconduct of district councilors, which will be overseen by the secretary for Home and Youth Affairs.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said the passage of the bill is a critical move for Hong Kong to fully implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and continuously improve its governance.

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The reformed district councils will be able to better play their roles in reflecting people’s opinions and helping people address their livelihood issues, so as to better assist the SAR government in district governance and increase people’s sense of happiness and fulfillment, a spokesperson for the Office said.

In a separate announcement, the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR said the amendment bill will reshape the district councils, which will not only help them return to their original role spelled out in the Basic Law, but also reflects the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong".

The reform is of great significance in terms of enhancing the effectiveness of district governance and improving Hong Kong’s overall governance system, the Liaison Office’s spokesperson said.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu called the bill a milestone for the city’s district governance in a statement issued on Thursday afternoon. He outlined the chaos that had descended on district councils over the past few years, which he said had proved that Hong Kong must plug institutional loopholes and exclude destabilizing forces out of the advisory organizations.

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Lee said the amended bill will come into effect on July 10, and the SAR government will spare no effort in proceeding with follow-up work, including making preparations for the District Council Ordinary Election.

During the second and third readings of the amendment on Wednesday and Thursday, many lawmakers and government officials expressed their supports for the reform.

According to the amendment bill, the SAR government will reorganize the 452 small-sized geographical constituencies under the current-term district councils into 44 larger ones. Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, a lawmaker and the chairwoman of the New People’s Party, said she welcomes the expansion of geographical constituencies.

The bigger the constituency, the more voters a candidate needs to win over in elections, which requires a candidate to have more comprehensive capabilities, she explained.

Ip said the number of voters in a certain constituency may be “80,000 or 100,000". In the future, a Hong Kong district councilor may be able to represent an electorate even greater than a member of parliament in the United Kingdom does, she added.

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Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said the review of the amendment bill was completed in a short period of time, which cannot be done without the trust of the central government, a constructive relationship between the executive and the legislature branches, and cooperation from all sectors of Hong Kong society.

Mak said she hopes the reform will put an end to the political confrontations that have plagued Hong Kong for years, and enable people who love the country and Hong Kong, and who are willing to take on responsibilities, to participate in district governance.

Proposed by the government on May 2, the reform plan has garnered broad support from Hong Kong communities, with over 1.61 million residents having signed at a citywide signature campaign in May to endorse the reform.

District councilors are in office for four years, beginning on the first day of the year following their election. The current term of district councils was formed in 2019 and will end on Dec 31 this year.