National security law: plans for general strike in Hong Kong, class boycott fail to win enough support at unofficial ‘referendum’
- Organisers needed 60,000 votes to call for a citywide work strike, but only 8,943 ballots were cast
- Government condemns civil service union and others behind the vote
Opposition activists failed to garner enough support for a citywide strike over the proposed national security law for Hong Kong, even as the voting period of their unofficial “referendum” was extended.
That came after China’s top legislative body tabled the first draft of the controversial law.
The unofficial poll, which was organised by labour unions and not enforceable by law, closed at 9pm, an hour later than planned. Organisers needed 60,000 votes to call for a citywide work strike, but only 8,943 ballots were cast.
A class boycott for students would also not go ahead as organisers announced the poll failed to collect enough physical votes despite the overall ballot numbers, including those in electronic form, exceeding 10,000, one of its targets.
Union leaders bowed to thank those who took part and noted more people joined labour groups for the vote.
Civil servants and students had defied government warnings to vote across the city, with some seeing the poll as their “last chance” to express their view as mainland authorities unveiled more details on the draft national security legislation.
Hong Kong civil service chief warns officers again over voting on security law
The government swiftly condemned those behind the vote, saying it was “absolutely unacceptable” that a civil service union was involved, while reissuing a warning to its workforce not to oppose legislation they had a responsibility to implement.
Despite having a combined membership of 14,000, the unions said earlier they were aiming to mobilise more than 60,000 people to vote by encouraging fresh registrations.
The poll came as state news agency Xinhua revealed in the evening that the planned national security law would require the city’s government to lead the bulk of enforcement, including the setting up of a commission headed by the chief executive.
The commission would have a central government adviser on it and the chief executive would have a right to appoint judges from the current slate in the judiciary to preside over cases.
Beijing, however, retains the right to overrule the city on certain rare cases.
Marketing industry worker Lily So, a 25-year-old voter in Kwun Tong, said the national security legislation details showed “a stronger stance” by the authorities in implementing the law.
While the draft of the law suggested Hongkongers’ rights could be protected under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, So was not convinced with the claims by Beijing.
“I feel the Chinese Communist Party doesn’t have any credibility at all,” she said.
Police officers were patrolling outside some of the venues, with force vehicles parked nearby, but they did not interfere with the proceedings.
Speaking at one of 13 polling stations set up across town, Michael Ngan, who heads the Union for New Civil Servants, one of the organisers, urged the government and police not to get involved.
“Although the room for us to voice our opinions has shrunk, we will keep speaking out,” Ngan said.
The unofficial referendum has drawn criticism from civil service chief Patrick Nip Tak-kuen, who warned government workers that striking would breach their code of conduct and require the bureau to “follow up”, as well as education minister Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, who called on schools to punish pupils and teachers involved in class boycotts.
Ida, a civil servant in her 30s working in the disciplined services, said she was afraid of the potential repercussions as she voted in Kwun Tong.
I think it’s important that the government doesn’t presume our views and that we are allowed to express our opinions via our union
She said the authorities were empowered to check who was a union member and could make personnel decisions based on that.
Civil servant Zoe Lau decided to vote despite the warnings from ministers. “I think it’s important that the government doesn’t presume our views and that we are allowed to express our opinions via our union,” the 30-year-old said.
A 17-year-old pupil, Jesse Tsoi, said it was his responsibility to vote when he still had the right to do so. He was worried the national security law would destroy the freedoms that Hong Kong residents currently enjoyed.
A 26-year-old clerk, surnamed Wong, said he did not support the referendum, but respected those who wanted to register their opinions after what he said was a year of protests that had stopped him from voicing his own. “It is not the communists who are robbing me of my freedom. It is the protesters who frighten me into staying silent on my political views,” he said.
Had more than 60 per cent backed a strike, union leaders planned to hold general meetings and then formally vote on the direct action within their individual organisations.
There is no law in Hong Kong stating that authorities can organise a referendum, nor is there any legislation saying that doing so is illegal.
