OpinionHong Kong’s pan-democrats are better off without Lau Siu-lai and her ‘self-determination’ baggage

I never thought the words would come out of my mouth, and I hesitate to write them even now but here goes: the returning officer for Kowloon West was probably right to disqualify Lau Siu-lai from running in the upcoming by-election. Moreover, Hong Kong’s pan-democratic camp is likely to be the biggest beneficiary of his decision.

Lau’s disclaimer – that she has retreated from both independence and self-determination – is too abrupt to be credible. The pan-dems need someone untainted by either brush to win back the seat and strengthen progressive forces in the Legislative Council.

The fact is that “self-determination” is a distraction, just as the hallucination of independence was a distraction. It is a dead end, a political cul-de-sac. Following the cause will only lead to thousands of talented young people, passionate about Hong Kong as they may be, wasting their time and energy. We all need to focus on what is achievable, and set about improving our city’s future in a practical way.

There are three elements to this line of thinking, and all three are fundamentally flawed. First, as I have pointed out before, the Basic Law itself has no expiry date. Like all legislation everywhere, absent an explicit and unambiguous sunset clause, it continues in force until repealed or amended by the body that made the law in the first place, in this case the National People’s Congress. While the promise in Article 5 – that the capitalist system and way of life shall remain unchanged for 50 years – expires, the law is silent on what happens thereafter and indeed the rest of the articles are not time-limited.