Uncertainties abound in Hong Kong politics after
another four pro-democracy lawmakers were unseated for failing to take their oaths of office correctly. What is clear, though, is that we cannot afford to raise the political stakes even higher. All sides, including the government, the pan-democrats and the establishment camp, must exercise restraint lest the divide deepens.
That the situation has quickly turned around in the wake of the court ruling last Friday is to be expected. Although the two legal battles against the six disqualified lawmakers were launched by the former chief executive Leung Chun-ying, they have a far-reaching impact on the relations between the pan-democrats and the new government.
The political bombshell means Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s “honeymoon” will come to an abrupt end; instead she faces a real test of her political wisdom and skills.
The court ruling has been seen by some as an affront to the tens of thousands of voters who returned the six lawmakers. Also worthy of concern is the
change in the balance of power in the legislature. It may be difficult now for the pan-democrats to
win back enough seats in the by-elections to maintain checks and balances, and the shift may enable the government and the establishment camp to push through laws and house rules unacceptable to the pan-democrats.
The pan-democrats understandably find
reconciliation difficult without assurances from the new government. Suggestions range from waiving the legal fees owed by the disqualified lawmakers to an undertaking not to take advantage of the so-called vacuum period. Some members even find blocking funding requests and other government initiatives in revenge justified. But the pan-democrats should gauge public opinion carefully before deciding how far to go. Their actions may backfire if public interest is undermined.
At stake is not just the balance of political power, but more importantly, the issue of whether the city can be governed effectively in the coming years. Both the Lam government and the pan-democrats need to adopt good bargaining tactics. But the overall interests of Hong Kong must not be sacrificed.
