Did Beijing legislative chief swipe at troublesome Hong Kong while praising Macau's 'cooperative' lawmakers?
Many saw Zhang's comment as a backhanded message to the city that often gives central government a hard time
The state leader who oversees Hong Kong and Macau affairs praised Macau legislators yesterday for their cooperation with the government, and spoke highly of their role in "safeguarding" an "executive-led" system in the former Portuguese enclave.
Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the National People's Congress, made the remarks in Beijing when he received a delegation of Macau lawmakers - the first such visit since Macau's handover in 1999.
Hong Kong lawmakers have never been invited on such a trip, and some in the city saw the delegation and Zhang's comments as a swipe at the Hong Kong legislature, which often gives the government a rough ride. Other observers cautioned against reading too much into the event.
Zhang shook hands with the 31 lawmakers who accepted the invitation from the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. Two pan-democratic lawmakers had declined to attend.
Assembly president Ho Iat-seng, who led the delegation, pledged to do better still. "Despite the passage of the national security law, we shall continue to work on stopping foreign forces from interfering with our internal affairs," he said, referring to the enactment of anti-subversion laws under Article 23 of Macau's Basic Law. Hong Kong has yet to enact such legislation under its Basic Law amid massive public opposition.
I don't think it is a good thing at all if we got praise from the communist leaders. This can be a kiss of death
Ho said Zhang did not mention Hong Kong specifically. Ho added: "If the executive and legislative branches do not have mutual trust, or mutual respect, it will be the residents who will suffer the most."
In Hong Kong, People Power legislator Albert Chan Wai-yip suspected Zhang's remarks were an indirect attack on the Hong Kong pan-democrats.
"But we couldn't care less. I don't think it is a good thing at all if we got praise from the communist leaders. This can be a kiss of death," Chan said.
He was pessimistic that such a delegation from Hong Kong would be invited to Beijing any time soon.
But veteran China-watcher Johnny Lau Yui-siu cautioned against "second guessing".
"Beijing knows well the situation in Hong Kong and it will not expect Hong Kong's pan-democrats to become as quiet as their Macau counterparts," Lau said.
A Hong Kong government spokesman said it was "happy to create opportunities" for lawmakers to better understand the views of the central government.
Au Kam-san, one of the two Macau lawmakers who declined to go, said the praise from Zhang was nothing to be proud of.
"There did not seem to be any chance to exchange views with Zhang. We saw that the legislators were just sitting there, getting lectured," he said, adding that the invitation lacked sincerity.
