Editor's note: Wilson Lee Flores is an analyst and columnist at the Philippine Star. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

History has just been made on March 30 with comprehensive and stabilizing election improvements which shall benefit not only Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, but all Asia. Stability is important for this city as Asia's premier financial hub.

On March 30, the 27th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress of China had unanimously adopted the amended Annex I and Annex II to the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), which shall ensure "patriots governing Hong Kong."

Such improvements will finally ensure long-term stability, and this is good news for Asia. This improvement of guaranteeing that only patriots govern Hong Kong shall boost international business confidence. As the city is important for regional trade and finance, Hong Kong needs political stability and rule of law for it to flourish again as global financial center, while instability will gravely ruin its future.

With the new election improvements, Hong Kong now has a brighter economic future under Asian-style democracy which focuses more on consensus and stability rather than strife. The ultimate winners of this constitutional improvement shall be the people of Hong Kong, as their city can again rebuild its international reputation as a stable, safe and efficient center for tourism, finance, trade, logistics and services.

A good example of Asian-style democracy with strong political stability, discipline and social harmony combined with economic dynamism is the region's another financial hub, the progressive city-state of Singapore.

Like Hong Kong in recent years due to its national security law and the new election amendments, Singapore has for decades been severely maligned and unfairly criticized by some Western politicians and critics as "lacking in democracy." 

In a CNN interview in 1997 by Louis Kraar, Singapore statesman Lee Kuan Yew said: "… Why are we (Singapore) being clobbered, hammered, and attacked by the American press as authoritarian, lacking in freedom, liberties? Not because of three million Singaporeans but because, as the American press and Freedom House say, we are a bad example for China, whereas China's Taiwan is a good example, and that is the way we should be going. Well, my job is not to be an example to anybody. If they think Singapore is a good example, I am flattered."

Lee continued: "Now if I were a Hong Konger, I would not want to cause a conflict between China and the U.S. Hong Kong has existed all these 150 years not as a place for democracy or freedom but as a place to get on in life, make money, and have a good life. When Chinese former leader Deng Xiaoping promised 'one country, two systems', that's what he meant."

Under British colonial rule, Hong Kong had no political democracy, its people had no say on the choice of governors and it prospered because the entrepreneurial Chinese people focused mainly on the economy. The city prospered as entrepot servicing the vast Chinese mainland. 

Tragically, just before the colonizers left in 1997, they had tinkered with its political system to inject new policies which had laid the foundations for long-term civil unrest, internal conflicts, built-in contradictions and uncertainties. The decolonization process of Hong Kong needed to be done by this improving of that flawed election system.

Some pundits and Western politicos had seemingly forgotten that the leaders of China led by the former leader Deng Xiaoping had allowed the unique experiment of "One Country, Two Systems."

However, this experiment didn't mean this autonomous territory shall be allowed to degenerate into unmitigated chaos, or its becoming a base for foreign-supported separatism, subversion or anti-China activities. Abuse of freedom is not "democracy," but untenable anarchy.  

All self-respecting and sovereign countries seek to safeguard national security and political peace, thus legally requiring that only patriots are eligible to become legislators and leaders.

All countries, including the homelands of some vociferous Hong Kong critics like the U.S. and Britain, have laws barring people involved with secession, subversion, sedition, separatism or any breach of national security from becoming political leaders. The election improvements in HKSAR are not only wise, logical, necessary and appropriate, but actually long overdue.

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