Opinion | Hong Kong localists’ oath-taking antics only play into the hands of Beijing hardliners

Gary Cheung says the drama could boost Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s chance of a second term, given the central government’s need for a trusted leader over a popular one

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Mainland officials may be gauging public opinion about Financial Secretary John Tsang (right) and Chief Secretary Carrie Lam, but Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying could win Beijing’s backing for a second term if independence calls continue unabated in Hong Kong. Photo: David Wong

Published: 3:00pm, 31 Oct 2016Updated: 11:00am, 30 Nov 2016

Even as they denounce the conduct of Sixtus Baggio Leung Chung-hang and Yau Wai-ching during their first attempt at oath-taking on October 12, Beijing and the Hong Kong government may actually be thankful for their offensive antics, for they have saved the authorities (at least for now) from any trouble that may have been brought about when they formally assumed office.

Before the newly elected Legislative Council was sworn in, some Hong Kong officials had apprehensions about lawmakers who champion self-determination, and even independence, for Hong Kong taking up their positions.

Yau Wai-ching and Sixtus Baggio Leung are surrounded by a media pack as they occupy their seats in the Legislative Council on October 26. The session was adjourned after chaos erupted and the pair ignored orders to leave the chamber. Photo: EPA

Legco oath-taking crisis continues as meeting adjourned amid chaos

The Basic Law states that legislators are immune from legal action over statements made in Legco meetings, and it would be nearly impossible to secure a two-thirds majority of members to unseat those advocating independence, for a breach of oath, if such calls were made outside the legislature.

Feng Wei, the deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said in March that he was fully prepared to accept the reality of young radicals winning Legco seats in the September election, but expected them to mature politically over time. The two Youngspiration lawmakers obviously crossed the line for Beijing. The pair have only played into the hands of mainland officials in favour of playing hardball with Hong Kong.

The oath-taking controversy also offers local officials and Beijing loyalists a golden opportunity to reassert the city’s “executive-led government” and deny the existence of separation of powers.

What’s in three words? Hong Kong debates whether principle of separation of powers applies to city

Amid criticism that the government’s filing for a judicial review of Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen’s decision to let Yau and Leung retake their oaths violated the principle of separation of powers, Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, Hong Kong’s sole representative on the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, said the Basic Law “makes no mention” of separation of powers. Former Basic Law drafter Maria Tam Wai-chu joined in, arguing that separation of powers was not how Hong Kong’s political structure was defined.