Same-sex partnerships in Hong Kong: conscience vote would set good precedent
Advertisement
However, the idea that same-sex couples should enjoy
the same legal status as heterosexual marriages is not a universally accepted moral standard. So where should Hong Kong draw the line?
This is not a matter for the executive, the legislature or the judiciary. It is a moral question. The moral view of the chief executive, lawmakers and legal experts carries not one ounce more weight than the view of a Kwun Tong housewife. That is why whether to introduce
a same-sex partner registration system should be decided by the collective will of the people of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is not a sovereign state, so we don't have a mechanism for a public referendum to determine our collective opinion, but our system has its own strengths. Without great fuss or cumbersome procedures, we can let our 90 legislators elected from every walk of life cast a free vote based on their individual conscience, independent of all external pressure.
All political, professional and business organisations and trade unions should publicly declare that they will not issue any voting instructions to their affiliated legislators, allowing them to vote freely according to their conscience.
Advertisement
Likewise, the government should make clear that legislators who serve in both the Executive Council and Legislative Council are not bound by Exco's principle of collective responsibility on this particular issue and may vote freely. The executive may, as with other policy proposals, explain their rationale to the legislature but must not lobby behind the scenes or attempt to sway votes. The central government's liaison office should likewise refrain from intervening.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Singapore's children of migrants can build bridges to rest of Asia
One in three marriages in Singapore is a transnational union. Each year, Singapore naturalises about 20,000 new citizens and grants another 30,000 permanent residency status, many of them children and young people. These two demographic trends are creating a generation of young Singaporeans who are invisible yet in plain sight – ethnically Asian and seamlessly integrated into local life yet carrying deep cultural and familial connections to our regional neighbours. While debates in the last few years over National Day posters featuring migrants sparked heated discussions about Singaporean identity, we have overlooked a more profound transformation already under way. Singapore is producing a unique population that challenges conventional thinking about immigration and integration: second-generation immigrants who face neither the racial barriers nor the social isolation often experienced by immigrant communities elsewhere. My four-year research project reveals that Singapore's approach to integrating the children of migrants has created dual outcomes. On one hand, it has achieved remarkable integration success as these young people blend into Singaporean society. On the other, it has erased their immigrant backgrounds and regional connections, missing a strategic opportunity for soft power. Two demographic trends are reshaping Singapore's population in ways official statistics don't fully capture. First is the rise in Singaporean-foreigner marriages, which has remained stable at roughly one-third of all marriages. Initially driven by Singaporean men marrying foreign women , we now also see increasing numbers of Singaporean women marrying foreign men. Most children from these unions take Singapore citizenship while maintaining cultural and linguistic ties to their parents' countries of origin.
South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China's childcare subsidy likely to be first of many family-friendly policies
Ten years after China formally abandoned its one-child policy, it has unveiled a national childcare subsidy to encourage couples to have children. This is not only to stem a decline in the population but also to address a worrying trend in its structure that could ultimately pose social and economic problems. Advertisement The government has announced it will provide an annual subsidy of 3,600 yuan (US$501) for every child born on or after January 1 this year until they turn three, regardless of whether they are the first, second or third child. Last year, births in China rose for the first time since 2017, an uptick partly attributed to the auspicious Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac. This year, China's population will slip below 1.4 billion people. While some may argue that, given its natural resources, the country could do with a smaller population, the effect of ageing and shrinking of the workforce on the structural population balance in the future has become a worry for policymakers. It has given rise to concerns about a 'super-aged' society comparable demographically with Japan, where nearly 30 per cent of people are over 65. The key to sustainable population planning now is not to reverse the population trend but to optimise the structure to help maintain economic growth and stability. A related issue is the need for China to boost domestic economic consumption. One of the reasons that Chinese consumers are not spending more – including on having more children – is because of the state of the social welfare system. Many families still have to save their disposable income for elderly and child care and medical expenses. Advertisement More than 20 provinces across China have already experimented with childcare subsidies at various local levels, but this marks the first nationwide scheme introduced by the central government.
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China invites descendants of US Flying Tigers who fought Japan to mark end of World War II
China has invited descendants of the American Flying Tigers to Beijing for the commemoration of the end of World War II, according to people familiar with the situation. Advertisement A source said they include Cynthia Chennault, the daughter of Claire Lee Chennault who commanded the volunteers who helped in China's fight against Japan, and one of his granddaughters, Nell Calloway. The Flying Tigers, officially known as the American Volunteer Group, were a group of pilots who were hired to fight for China – then under the rule of the Nationalists – against the Japanese invasion. The Tigers fought the better-equipped Japanese air force over the skies of China and Southeast Asia between late 1941 and the summer of 1942, when they were formally incorporated into the US Air Force to continue the fight. The invitations were extended under the name of the National People's Congress, China's legislature, and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, a semi-official body set up to improve relations with other countries, the source said. Advertisement Jeffrey Greene, chairman of the non-profit Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, said he and his wife Katherine had also been invited to attend the official events in the Chinese capital 'on September 2 and 3 commemorating the Chinese and Allied victory in the Second World War'. China announced in June that it would hold a series of events to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the conflict.
