Commentary
HONG KONG – Some opposition lawmakers in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday staged a farce of the so-called “resignation en masse” following the disqualification of four members of the Legislative Council (LegCo).
Such move is blatantly challenging the authority of the HKSAR Basic Law and the decision of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, exposing those LegCo members’ true agenda of confronting the central authorities’ overall jurisdiction over Hong Kong.
The NPC Standing Committee’s decision, with unchallengeable authority, provides a solid legal basis for regulating and dealing with matters concerning the qualification of LegCo members.
It’s a necessary move for the HKSAR government to maintain constitutional order in the HKSAR and fully demonstrate the impartiality and authority of the rule of law by announcing the disqualification of Dennis Kwok Wing-hang and three other LegCo members in accordance with the law.
Law-breaking acts entail legal consequences. It is a basic norm for any society ruled by the law.
It’s natural and justified for the four LegCo members to face disqualification after they have recanted, undermined the HKSAR Basic Law, and showed disloyalty to the HKSAR of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
However, some LegCo members from the opposition camp smeared the central government’s exercise of its legitimate constitutional power as “political suppression.”
Their real intention is to confound the public, fiddle with “right and wrong,” stir up populist sentiments, create chaos, smear and slander the “One Country, Two Systems” practice.
What they are doing, like begging external forces for intervention and even sanctions, will only jeopardize the hard-earned stability in the HKSAR.
Hong Kong is an inseparable part of China, thus staying loyal to the motherland and Hong Kong is a fundamental requirement of the Constitution and the HKSAR Basic Law.
Such opposition figures disregard the basic requirement of being loyal to the motherland as holders of public office, or even going further to collude with external forces to intervene in Hong Kong’s affairs.
They have crossed the bottom line of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle, only to expose again their head-strong stance of confronting the central authorities and ignoring the mainstream public opinion of Hong Kong society.
A recent survey showed that more than 60 percent of the respondents objected to the reappointment of the four disqualified LegCo members, whereas all sectors of Hong Kong society have expressed firm support for the NPC Standing Committee’s decision.
The farce by those opposition figures won’t affect the operation of LegCo. They did, however, deprive themselves of the qualification to hold public office and serve the people when Hong Kong is having a historical opportunity to turn chaos into social stability.
Regarding the opposition, they need to think twice on the following questions. Do they want to be a constructor or a disruptor for the “One Country, Two Systems” principle and Hong Kong’s development? Will they follow acceptable political norms or overstep the red line and act recklessly at the cost of the well-being of 7.5 million Hong Kong residents? – Xinhua
