Hong Kong and central-government policy pundits on Friday urged the special administrative region’s residents to cast their ballots at Sunday’s Legislative Council election.

They described the election as vital for the city’s recovery from one of its deadliest blazes, fostering unity after loss, enabling sweeping safety overhauls, and sustaining Hong Kong’s developmental momentum “from stability to prosperity”.

Tam Yiu-chung, vice-chairman of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told China Daily that the LegCo election, coming on the heels of the deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze in Tai Po, has taken on a greater urgency, as the legislative backing of new lawmakers will be “essential” to enact and oversee many specific measures in the next phase of the postfire recovery.

LegCo President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen said in a Friday social media post that electing a new term of lawmakers represents an “important step” to restore social confidence and rebuild the homes and community of the affected residents.

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He wrote in Chinese that the task “of most immediate priority” now is to seat a functional new LegCo to both help and supervise the SAR government to deliver all promised postfire aid and ensure a timely, comprehensive investigation into the incident.

In the long term, the monumental work of thoroughly reviewing and approving changes to safety laws will also fall to the new-term LegCo — a task for which it holds the constitutional responsibility and role to fulfill, Leung said.

“I call on all voters to value the ballots in their hands and cast them wisely to elect the most competent individuals to bring new vitality and positive momentum to propel Hong Kong’s continued progress,” he said.

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A commentary reposted in Chinese by the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council on Thursday also stressed the upcoming LegCo election’s significance as an “important step” for the SAR’s ongoing postfire recovery efforts, social welfare, and long-term trajectory “from stability to prosperity”.

“Now is the time to turn sorrow into strength, stay united, and mobilize the drive for progress”, the article read, “All fronts must spare no effort to execute the poll well, encourage voters’ turnout, and ensure the poll is conducted safely, orderly, and successfully.”

The commentary also expressed praise for the lawmaker candidates’ performance in the resumed government-run election forums, where discussions focused on marshaling industries’ support for Hong Kong’s recovery from the fire, fostering solidarity in the face of loss, and implementing a citywide systemic safety reform, as hopefuls jostled to put forward policy ideas, it said.

These efforts signaled a “new climate” in which a more pragmatic, public-service-oriented approach has been taken by Hong Kong patriots committed to serving the city, the commentary said.

Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com