Fact: the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress is the highest legislative organ in our country. Fact: the power of interpretation lies with this body.
The Standing Committee's power to interpret our Basic Law is a legal one. That is the reality. The discretionary power - that is, whether the national legislature will exercise its legal power to interpret the Basic Law - rests with the legislature. Legally, and realistically, the Standing Committee does not need to ask for permission to exercise that power.
Less than 24 hours ago, it made public its interpretation of parts of Annexes I and II to our Basic Law. Even before the Standing Committee had a chance to sit down, the opposition was staging protests against the planned interpretation - pronouncing guilt before anything had been done.
But no crime has been committed. Everything was done in accordance with the law. Yet, doubtless the interpretation will be twisted, with more conspiracy theories that many will claim to be proof of some ultimate McCarthy-like witch-hunt.
The Standing Committee's interpretation was done in accordance with its powers; there has been no abuse of its powers whichever way we read the Basic Law. Naming something that is perfectly legal 'lethal', which could cause the 'death of Hong Kong', is wrong, unreasonable and ludicrous.
Now that the verdict is in - amendments to voting procedures will be allowed to begin from 2007, and the procedure for any change has been laid out - our 'one country, two systems' formula, high degree of autonomy, and quest for constitutional development all remain in tact.
Admittedly, it is easy for many to believe that Darth Vader and his agents are living among us in Hong Kong, waiting for every opportunity to steal our possessions, take away our lives and interpret our Basic Law. Certainly, that is a more interesting lunch topic than discussing the logic of why Beijing will not undermine the very thing it created for Hong Kong (that is, the Basic Law; the special administrative region's autonomy).