With some pan-democratic legislators due to announce their resignation next week to trigger a 'de facto referendum' on democracy, the central government has plunged into the controversy in a ham-fisted fashion. It has accused those behind the plan of mounting a 'blatant challenge' to the Basic Law and Beijing's authority.
A statement by the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office contained what appeared to be a veiled threat that the plan by the League of Social Democrats and the Civic Party might derail universal suffrage elections scheduled for 2017. The 'so-called referendum' would 'damage hard-earned achievements', Beijing said.
But its expression of 'grave concern' is likely to be counterproductive. If Beijing had not intervened, the by-elections may not have stirred much interest and the voter turnout would probably have been low. However, by drawing attention to the elections, the central government is unwittingly increasing interest, as well as voter turnout, thus helping the planners to claim that it was a legitimate referendum.
Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen told the Legislative Council last Thursday that there were no legal grounds for the 'so-called referendum' since the Basic Law does not provide for one, and the government would not recognise the result.
That is as definitive as it gets; there was no need for Beijing to intervene. Its statements simply make the Hong Kong administration look like a puppet government.
It is unclear what Beijing intends to achieve by issuing the statement. Certainly, the pan-democratic lawmakers who have decided to quit are not going to change their minds.
But, by calling the move 'fundamentally against' the Basic Law and the 2007 decision by the National People's Congress Standing Committee to allow universal suffrage in 2017, Beijing seems to want to somehow prevent the 'referendum' from going ahead.