Doubtful Hong Kong opposition lawmakers who quit can run again, says ex-president of legislature

Electoral officials can be expected to take into consideration central government’s criticism of resignations when screening candidacies, Jasper Tsang says

Pro-establishment legislators set to face greater public scrutiny, he warns, adding administration should not take the bloc for granted

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Jasper Tsang made the comments in an interview by former lawmaker Emily Lau. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 7:42pm, 16 Nov 2020Updated: 8:06pm, 16 Nov 2020

A pro-Beijing heavyweight in Hong Kong has expressed reservations about whether 15 opposition lawmakers who resigned last week will be able to stand in Legislative Council elections scheduled for September, citing the central government’s criticism of their protest tactic.

Former Legco president Jasper Tsang Yok-sing also warned Hong Kong officials against taking the support of pro-establishment councillors for granted, now that the pan-democratic camp was gone.

China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, approved a resolution on Wednesday requiring the removal of Legco members found to have violated their duty of allegiance or endangered national security. The decision allowed Hong Kong authorities to disqualify four opposition lawmakers who were earlier barred by electoral officials from running in polls originally slated for this past September over lobbying foreign governments for sanctions. Their 15 colleagues all quit in protest.

The four disqualified lawmakers Dennis Kwok, Alvin Yeung Ngok-kiu, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung Kai-cheong. Photo: Dickson Lee

In a strongly worded statement, the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office condemned the resignations as a “farce and a blatant challenge to the central government’s power and the authority of the Basic Law”, referring to the financial hub’s mini-constitution.

The central government liaison office also condemned the departures as “irresponsible”.