Is there room for Hong Kong’s political centre under national security law and US-China wrestling?
- For the first time since the handover in 1997, lawmakers from opposing camps were unwilling to have their photo taken together to mark the end of the legislative term
- But all sides must realise that losing the middle ground will be detrimental to Hong Kong’s longer-term interests
How long does it take for a group photo? Seconds, minutes, an hour or so at the most for an elaborate shoot?
Each side took its own group photo, which means Legco’s official gallery will, for the first time, have to display two separate images to mark the end of the 2016-20 session.
Indecisiveness can be political suicide for Hong Kong government as city faces third wave of Covid-19
The day we said goodbye to perhaps the most divided ever Legco session, dominated by endless hurly-burlies, filibustering, and physical clashes, also marked the start of the two-week nomination period for the next Legco election scheduled in September.
Can this city’s politicians, whichever camp they hail from, ever be able to break the political impasse and bring some freshness and constructiveness? Is there any room for the political centre for consensus building in this city?
Meanwhile, there is a growing trend of toughness within the pro-establishment bloc and wider “blue” camp. This group not only strongly supports both Beijing and the local government, it has also opted for more confrontational, tit-for-tat tactics against the opposition.
Hong Kong national security law official English version:
Gone are the days when the two sides could at least reach consensus on certain livelihood issues.
The sidelining of the political centre did not come out of nowhere.
In return, the Hong Kong government and Beijing in particular, came up with new weapons such as the disqualification of rebels in the chamber and tougher vetting of new candidates with new rules.
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Adding to the complexity is the unfortunate reality of Hong Kong being dragged into the middle of much bigger political wrestling between the world’s two major powers.
Economy first, politics second: is this a pragmatic way out for Hong Kong – and Beijing, too?
To sign or not to sign, that is the question for opposition nominees. Will they continue to be defiant by ignoring this request but risking losing their eligibility to run? And how stringent will the official vetting be? The coming two weeks will tell how much room there still is for the political centre.
But all sides must realise that losing the middle ground will be detrimental to Hong Kong’s longer-term interests.