Opponents of the looming national security law could be seen as being disloyal to Hong Kong, potentially disqualifying them from running in the upcoming Legislative Council election, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang said on Wednesday.

In an interview with Sing Tao Daily, Tsang claimed that the autonomy of Hong Kong under its mini-constitution, the Basic Law, was granted by the National People’s Congress. He said the Hong Kong government had the responsibility to safeguard national security, calling the relevant legislative process as “following the order of heaven and earth.”

“If you do not completely agree or oppose the decision made by the National People’s Congress, do you still support the Basic Law? To me, this is a big question,” he said. “People must remember that when you pledge loyalty to the People’s Republic of China and the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, the notion of ‘nation’ is there. If you are against the legislation of the national security law, your loyalty to the SAR is doubtful.”

Tsang’s remarks came after a number of pro-democracy politicians pledged to uphold their power and responsibilities according to the Basic Law should they be elected as lawmakers, including the right to vote against the budget. “If you intend to stop the Legco or even the SAR government from functioning, how can you say that you are loyal to Hong Kong?” Tsang said.

Tsang’s remarks have been seen as a warning shot to Barnabas Fung, chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission. In recent years, many pro-democracy candidates have been disqualified from running for Legco and District Council, including prominent activist Joshua Wong. Tsang denied such allegations, saying that he only questioned one’s loyalty to the Basic Law. He added that it was up to the returning officer to decide whether to ban a candidate from running in an election.

Pro-democracy lawmakers said Tsang’s “threat” will not make them change their stance of opposing the national security law. Lawmaker Wu Chi-wai, chairman of the Democratic Party, told Apple Daily that the national security law will only import the mainland system to Hong Kong, completely tarnishing the system of rule of law that has been ensuring the city’s safety and stability.

He said Tsang’s statement reflected that he only served Beijing, not Hong Kong, and people are not permitted to hold different opinions.

Civic Party leader and lawmaker Alvin Yeung called Tsang’s remarks “ridiculous.” “Does it mean that a lawmaker is not allowed to point out [how this law] violates our constitution?” he said.

Yeung said as the minister dealing with mainland affairs, Tsang was yet to show the people of Hong Kong the provisions of the national security law. He added that the plan to allow mainland agents to operate and be armed in Hong Kong was “outrageous.” “It is already against the principles of ‘one country, two systems’ to allow mainland law enforcement units to operate in the city,” he said.

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