Why Beijing says chief executive candidates must 'love China'
I refer to the letter by Rod Parkes ("Pan-dems are carrying out election pledge", January 19).
Your correspondent is of the opinion that the 27 pan-democratic legislators are fully justified in rejecting the government's political reform bill, because they are elected by five million Hong Kong voters, and are standing up to a leader who only represents 689 voters and against foisting a blatantly undemocratic system on these voters.
I presume Mr Parkes is a permanent Hong Kong resident and a registered voter. In that case, it is his duty to study the Basic Law, before making comments as a voter.
Annex I of the Basic Law states that the chief executive will be elected "in accordance with" the Basic Law and "appointed by" the central government.
Mr Parkes, like the Occupy protesters, forgets Hong Kong is a city in China. It has a high degree of autonomy, but it does not have full autonomy.
One of the rights Hong Kong does not have is to choose its own chief executive. The chief executive can only take his/her post after appointment by the central government. This is clearly stated in the Basic Law.
It is a wonder that the pan-democratic legislators, who unlike Mr Parkes are all well aware of this fact, still choose to mislead Hong Kong people into thinking that we have the right to choose our own chief executive.
Because of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong residents do not have to support the one-party rule of China. But if a Hong Kong chief executive candidate chooses to openly criticise the one-party rule system in the country, should such a person be appointed if he/she wins?
This is the reason Beijing insists chief executive candidates must "love China and love Hong Kong" in order to save the trouble of not appointing a person who does not "love China".
The pan-democrats can use whatever ways they can think of; they will not be able to force Beijing to give them what they call a "genuine election". By genuine election, they mean letting somebody run whose platform includes, "China should abandon one party rule."
Do these people qualify as legislators in Hong Kong? Why don't they come clean and admit they are for independence. In that case, they should all resign from Legco and start a revolution.
