As the adage goes, eighty percent of success comes from simply showing up. Accordingly, all but one of Hong Kong’s 89 legislators joining a week‑long “national affairs study visit” to Beijing made a good impression.
Lawmaker Stanley Ng Chau‑pei described the trip as a “groundbreaking opportunity” for legislators to study and deepen their grasp of national conditions. Attending with enthusiasm to learn and to better understand how Hong Kong can contribute more proactively to national development is certainly commendable.
The legislature had put in extra hours to scrutinize the bill for the Huanggang Port, and lawmakers devoted their first week of summer recess to the study tour. Notably, one news outlet referred to the delegation as “a class,” and the group photos—complete with a leading banner—evoke images of schoolchildren on a summer outing.
Lifelong learning remains essential. While we do not expect legislators to know everything, we do expect them to stay current with ongoing developments and the rapid changes shaping today’s world.
It is encouraging to observe that the current cohort of legislators has made a sincere effort to attend sessions. Only three members recorded an overall attendance rate below 90 percent—a stark contrast to past periods when participation was far lower.
A damning report from 2023 highlighted attendance problems within the newly reconstituted Legislative Council. According to the report, during the 2022 legislative year, at least two‑thirds of bills were approved with fewer than half of the council members present—well below the 45‑member quorum threshold.
