Neutering the opposition in Hong Kong Legislative Council won’t improve governance, as Carrie Lam will find out

With its resolution to oust four pro-democracy legislators, the NPC shows Beijing will no longer tolerate any form of opposition, mild or radical
Decision leaves Legco dominated by the pro-establishment camp, which Lam needs to remember answers to the Communist Party, not her

Albert Cheng

Published: 8:30am, 27 Nov 2020

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This month, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee passed a resolution allowing the Hong Kong government to oust four pro-democracy lawmakers. Beijing said it had only broached the subject at the request of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.

All of Hong Kong’s pan-democrat lawmakers have resigned after the resolution. The only non-establishment lawmakers who have stayed on are Cheng Chung-tai of Civic Passion and Pierre Chan Pui-yin of the medical functional constituency. The Legislative Council has become a mere rubber stamp.

Following the Hong Kong government’s postponement of the Legco elections, the NPC Standing Committee had extended the current term for at least a year, a decision which stirred up heated debate among democrats, localists and other Hongkongers who support democracy. Many felt that staying to serve the one year would be endorsing Beijing’s unconstitutional act. The pro-democracy lawmakers who accepted the extension were condemned for violating the fundamental principles of democracy.

At the time, I believed and advocated that one should not retreat from any battlefield lightly. The Legislative Council was one of the key arenas for vocal opposition to the government’s bills, and a collective resignation would not bring any good to the city.

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However, now that Beijing has unlawfully disqualified the four lawmakers, the promise of “one country, two systems” has been completely shattered. With its move, the NPC has only shown the whole world the falsehood of “Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong”.

Clearly, now is the time for the radical democrats and localists to make a political choice. Clearly, the Communist Party will no longer tolerate any form of opposition within the Legco, mild or radical. Given that the Legco has essentially lost its function, the radicals ought to consider whether they should run in the upcoming elections.

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It is entirely foreseeable that even if elected, they are likely to be disqualified. If they want to stay in Legco and avoid being ousted, they will have no choice but to comply with certain rules. At the end of the day, they will become trapped in the same situation as the democrats whom they look down on. Up till now, none of those radical democrats, localists or newbies who won the opposition camp’s primary election has uttered a word.

Legco aside, there is another battlefield where the pro-democracy Hongkongers have an upper hand. Close to 90 per cent of the district councillors are non-establishment types, chairing 17 district councils.

Realistically, amid speculation that district councils might be disqualified next, the best they can do for now is to focus their efforts on community work.

The livelihood of residents in various neighbourhoods should be their first priority. They should dedicate themselves to doing as much as they can for Hong Kong people before the government imposes other forms of oppression.

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It’s as clear as day that Legco is being taken over by the pro-establishment camp. This is not unlike the colonial era, when lawmakers in the British-led Legco were either appointed or indirectly elected.

If the Hong Kong government still cares about the Hong Kong people, at the very least, it should learn from the British and pick capable and sensible pro-establishment candidates to monitor the administration and offer practical policy suggestions.

Unfortunately, most of the current pro-establishment members of Legco serve neither Hong Kong people nor the Hong Kong government; they are loyal only to Beijing. Besides, they have contributed to the deep divide in Hong Kong society. It is very naive of the chief executive to think she can restore governance after getting rid of the democrats. She needs to bear in mind that the pro-establishment camp answers to the Communist Party, not her.

Albert Cheng King-hon is a political commentator

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