Loyalty, not love, key element of ‘patriots governing Hong Kong’, local delegate to China’s top legislative body says
- Tam Yiu-chung, the city’s sole delegate to China’s top legislative body, was offering his interpretation of recent calls from Beijing for a political overhaul of the city
- ‘If you oppose the Chinese Communist Party, how can you maintain that you genuinely safeguard the interests of Hong Kong?’ he asked
Love does not enter into the equation when it comes to city officials’ feelings toward the Chinese Communist Party under the precept of “patriots governing Hong Kong”, but loyalty certainly does, the city’s sole delegate to China’s top legislative body has said.
Tam Yiu-chung on Thursday offered his interpretation of recent comments calling for a political overhaul of the city from Beijing’s top official on Hong Kong affairs, saying the speech had laid out “comprehensive and clear” requirements for those who held core public offices.
“It’s not about whether you love it or hate it … If you oppose the Chinese Communist Party, you are against the leader of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the creator and leader of ‘one country, two systems’,” he said. “How can you maintain that you genuinely safeguard the interests of Hong Kong?”
On Monday, Xia Baolong, head of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, gave a speech declaring the need for political changes to ensure only “patriots” held key positions in the city, and for insufficiently loyal officials to be rooted out.