Hong Kong’s democratic movement suffered another major setback last week as Beijing launched an avalanche of political assaults through its network of actors.

Foremost among them is Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Xia Baolong. Notorious for demolishing thousands of Christian crosses atop churches throughout Zhejiang, Xia announced plans to demolish Hong Kong’s already-anemic democracy through the implementation of a “patriots governing Hong Kong” policy. Under this policy, “the proxies of anti-China members who disrupt Hong Kong and international anti-China forces” are barred from entering the city’s legislative, executive and judicial branches, or leading any statutory organizations.

First on Xia’s agenda of demolition is an all-out effort to “reform” Hong Kong’s electoral system by effectively screening out any opposition prior to elections. Admittedly, the Beijing-led electoral “reform” represents a top priority for the authoritarian regime after the pro-democracy camp claimed a landslide victory over pro-establishment candidates in the 2019 District Council election. During a recent meeting with Xia in Shenzhen, pro-Beijing loyalist Rita Fan proposed that the seats allocated to district councilors in the small-circle election committee for selecting Hong Kong’s chief executive should all go to local delegates of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. It is no coincidence that Xia also serves in the very same political advisory body as Secretary-General. In any event, Fan’s radical proposal is said to ensure that only patriots can run the city by excluding “non-patriots with ill intent and those who want to use foreign powers to destroy Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.”

Beijing’s puppet Carrie Lam also echoed Xia’s announcement on patriotism. Aside from ensuring her administration’s full cooperation with Beijing, Lam also claimed that “requesting someone who loves their country to rule the country” is indeed “not a very high standard.” Such love affair between a Party-ruled country and its citizens was further dissected by Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang, who reasoned that “you cannot say that you are patriotic but you do not love the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party or you do not respect it - this does not make sense.”

To make the most sense out of Beijing’s patriotism requirements, one needs look no further than the recent symposium commemorating the birth centenary of Hua Guofeng. Held just days before Xia’s announcement on patriotism, the high-profile event was meant to celebrate the legacy of Mao Zedong’s yes-man who briefly held multiple key positions, including Party chairman, before being demoted from the leadership by reformist Deng Xiaoping in the early 80s. Since then, Hua had lived a low-profile life with no active political involvement whatsoever until his death in 2008 amid the festivity of Beijing Olympics. An official Xinhua news release on the symposium described the forgotten leader as “an outstanding member of the Communist Party of China, a long-tested and loyal communist fighter, and a proletarian revolutionary who once held important leading posts in the Party and the government.”

How loyal was Hua to the supreme Party leader of his time? In his book The Private Life of Chairman Mao, Mao’s personal physician Dr. Li Zhisui offered a vivid account of Hua’s extraordinary loyalty during the dictator’s final days--”When we recommend new, and sometimes uncomfortable, medical procedures, like running a tube through Mao’s nose and into his stomach for feeding, Hua Guofeng among the leaders had been willing to try the new procedures first on himself.” No wonder Mao once praised Hua in a hand-written note that read: “With you in charge, my mind is at ease.” In this regard, Lam and her cabinet members still have much to learn from Hua, so far as exhibiting their loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party is concerned.

While Mao thought highly of Hua’s unconditional loyalty, others in the Party were less impressed by his lack of personal views in politics. Hua’s unquestionable obedience to powers is best illustrated in his iconic slogan--”We will resolutely uphold whatever policy decisions Chairman Mao made, and unswervingly follow whatever instructions Chairman Mao gave.” In a society where free thoughts are crushed and red lines are everywhere, it is a matter of time before Hua’s “Two Whatevers” model of loyalty becomes the gold standard of patriotism in Hong Kong.

(Dr Jack Kwan is a MIT-trained consultant based in Boston.)

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