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Alex Lo
SCMP Columnist
My Take
by Alex Lo
My Take
by Alex Lo

Crackdown on university radicals looms

  • A report into the banning of the Hong Kong National Party will allow the central and Hong Kong governments to set a red line on separatism in writing, and student leaders may be the next target

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced early this week Beijing’s unprecedented request for an official report on the banning of a separatist party. At the same time, students at City University were fighting over localist and anti-Chinese messages posted on the campus’ “democracy wall”.

Opposition party leaders, such as those from the Democratic Party and Civic Party, have objected to the central government’s request.

Some critics claim it has, once again, failed to respect Hong Kong’s legal system and governance. But they are arguing over procedures and precedents. Even if they are right, they are missing the real threat.

Their legal argument seems to rest on the possibility that the banned Hong Kong National Party could still launch a judicial review against the Executive Council’s decision to uphold the ban. By asking for a report now, the central government is interfering with judicial processes, which have yet to be exhausted, and local autonomy.

But how can anyone know when and whether HKNP would launch a judicial review and if the court would accept it? HKNP is as good as dead. The real question is, what will happen to similar localist groups with an open or covert separatist agenda?

An answer is partly explained by the highly publicised nature of the request, which had Lam announcing it at a hastily arranged media briefing. While no deadline is set for the report, Lam said she was inclined to release it to the public.

In a word, the central and Hong Kong governments are setting a red line on separatism in writing. But we can guess what this means: groups that are politically similar or deemed similar to HKNP will be banned. Which are those groups? Some radical political parties fit the bill. But the ones that officials on both sides of the border fret most about are student unions at our publicly funded universities that have proved to be the most radical, uncompromisingly anti-Chinese and openly separatist. Many such youngsters don’t consider themselves Chinese, but Hongkongers.

Radicalised political parties have either been neutered or marginalised, their chances of running in elections at the district, rural and legislative levels are either nil or considerably diminished.

But radical student leaders still cause trouble on the campuses of the city’s major universities. An example is the latest fight at City University.

Unless they show more restraint or school management impose it, a crackdown seems inevitable.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Crackdown on university radicals looms
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