For pro-democracy veteran Lee Cheuk-yan, who served in Hong Kong’s legislative council for more than two decades, Beijing’s move to force out all pro-democracy legislators is a sign that it wants Hong Kong to go down the path of not having genuine elections while maintaining total control over the city.
Chennai: On November 11, four pro-democracy legislators were disqualified after the highest legislative body in China passed a measure barring anyone from Hong Kong’s legislative council who supports independence, refuses to recognise Beijing’s sovereignty over Hong Kong, seeks help from “foreign countries or foreign forces to interfere in the affairs of the region,” or commits “other acts that endanger national security.” The disqualification of the four pro-democracy legislators prompted the 15 remaining pro-democracy lawmakers to resign en masse, leaving Hong Kong’s legislative council without any members from the opposition bloc for the first time in its history.
Kwok Ka-ki is one of the legislators disqualified by the Hong Kong government. He told DW that the move shows Beijing wants to control everything in the special administrative region. “They want to scrap the whole democratic movement and there will not be any democracy in Hong Kong,” Kwok said.
‘Inevitable yet tragic’
In his view, once Beijing achieves total control over Hong Kong, the city that is supposed to be semi-autonomous will become the same as other cities on the Chinese mainland. “What the Chinese government has promised in the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law are lies,” Kwok said. “Hong Kong doesn’t have any democracy anymore. If there is any democracy, it’s only decorative.” Jeffrey Ngo, a former member of the now-disbanded pro-democracy organisation Demosisto, believes that the resignation of the pro-democracy legislators is inevitable. “Beijing is moving its goalposts all the time, and we have reached a point where even the most moderate members of the opposition camp are disqualified,” Ngo told DW.
“Previously, some traditional pan-democrats would still have illusions that if they don’t cross Beijing’s line, they would be fine,” Ngo explained. “However, Beijing’s line just keeps shifting so it’s inevitable yet tragic that all members of the opposition camp had to resign.” Ngo said the lawmakers’ resignation means that one extra avenue for resisting against Beijing’s encroachment of the city’s autonomy has been closed. He added that things will continue to deteriorate in Hong Kong.
For pro-democracy veteran Lee Cheuk-yan, who served in Hong Kong’s legislative council for more than two decades, Beijing’s move to force out all pro-democracy legislators is a sign that it wants Hong Kong to go down the path of not having genuine elections while maintaining total control over the city.
“Right after Hong Kong returned to China in 1997, there was a sense of optimism that Hong Kong can achieve real universal suffrage in 10 years’ time,” Lee told DW. “In the beginning, Beijing seemed to be keen on respecting their promises. Things turned sour after 10 years and the promises they made were all broken.” In his view, the pro-democracy legislators were given no choice but to resign. He said while they could still stay on as legislators, it seems inevitable that they would all be disqualified by the Chinese government. “People in Hong Kong are worried that they won’t be able to vote in the future,” said Lee. “Or even if we still have the right to vote, we won’t have genuine candidates that we can support.” Lee thinks the pro-democracy movement is now on a downward slope in Hong Kong. He said if there are no fair elections in the future, the city’s democracy is “going down the drain.” Ngo said if the US proves that it’s able to stand up for Hong Kong, then other countries could be expected to join the US in the effort because a multilateral coalition of countries is going to be the most effective way to check China’s aggression and expansionism.
— This article has been provided by Deutsche Welle
Kwok Ka-ki is one of the legislators disqualified by the Hong Kong government. He told DW that the move shows Beijing wants to control everything in the special administrative region. “They want to scrap the whole democratic movement and there will not be any democracy in Hong Kong,” Kwok said.
‘Inevitable yet tragic’
In his view, once Beijing achieves total control over Hong Kong, the city that is supposed to be semi-autonomous will become the same as other cities on the Chinese mainland. “What the Chinese government has promised in the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law are lies,” Kwok said. “Hong Kong doesn’t have any democracy anymore. If there is any democracy, it’s only decorative.” Jeffrey Ngo, a former member of the now-disbanded pro-democracy organisation Demosisto, believes that the resignation of the pro-democracy legislators is inevitable. “Beijing is moving its goalposts all the time, and we have reached a point where even the most moderate members of the opposition camp are disqualified,” Ngo told DW.
“Previously, some traditional pan-democrats would still have illusions that if they don’t cross Beijing’s line, they would be fine,” Ngo explained. “However, Beijing’s line just keeps shifting so it’s inevitable yet tragic that all members of the opposition camp had to resign.” Ngo said the lawmakers’ resignation means that one extra avenue for resisting against Beijing’s encroachment of the city’s autonomy has been closed. He added that things will continue to deteriorate in Hong Kong.
For pro-democracy veteran Lee Cheuk-yan, who served in Hong Kong’s legislative council for more than two decades, Beijing’s move to force out all pro-democracy legislators is a sign that it wants Hong Kong to go down the path of not having genuine elections while maintaining total control over the city.
“Right after Hong Kong returned to China in 1997, there was a sense of optimism that Hong Kong can achieve real universal suffrage in 10 years’ time,” Lee told DW. “In the beginning, Beijing seemed to be keen on respecting their promises. Things turned sour after 10 years and the promises they made were all broken.” In his view, the pro-democracy legislators were given no choice but to resign. He said while they could still stay on as legislators, it seems inevitable that they would all be disqualified by the Chinese government. “People in Hong Kong are worried that they won’t be able to vote in the future,” said Lee. “Or even if we still have the right to vote, we won’t have genuine candidates that we can support.” Lee thinks the pro-democracy movement is now on a downward slope in Hong Kong. He said if there are no fair elections in the future, the city’s democracy is “going down the drain.” Ngo said if the US proves that it’s able to stand up for Hong Kong, then other countries could be expected to join the US in the effort because a multilateral coalition of countries is going to be the most effective way to check China’s aggression and expansionism.
— This article has been provided by Deutsche Welle
Conversations