Two mainland scholars, known as the think tanks of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), coincidentally talked about the incompetence of the pro-establishment camp. Tian Feilong, director of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, said that the Central Government does not need “rubber stamps or loyal garbage” from the Hong Kong pro-establishment. Director of the Advanced Institute of Global and Contemporary China Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Zheng Yongnian, said that Hong Kong lacked “capable patriots” and even said that there were patriots with “false loyalty.”

They are both very smart people who trim their sails to the wind, so it is extremely unlikely for them to make aimless remarks. Therefore, this predicts that following the arrests of pan-democrats under the National Security Law and Hong Kong’s political reform, it will be impossible for the opposition to survive in the pro-establishment camp. Meanwhile, the pro-establishment camp will also be drastically restructured, and those who are regarded as garbage will be removed no matter how loyal they are.

Indeed, many in the pro-establishment camp are what Tian Feilong calls " loyal garbage,” and have recently perfected their rendition of this term. The National People’s Congress (NPC) approved plans to reform Hong Kong’s political system, but called it an improvement of Hong Kong’s electoral system, with no participation or consultation of Hong Kong people throughout the process. Nevertheless, Carrie Lam immediately expressed sincere gratitude to the Central Government’s efforts to “improve” the city’s electoral system. Teresa Cheng said it is constitutional and legal. On behalf of the pro-establishment camp, Gary Chan of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress (DAB) political party made a statement in which he claimed that it would “make due contribution to the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” by eliminating loopholes in the election system.

How can a constitutional change in this tiny region, which is seen as a major setback for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, be compared to the revival of the Chinese nation? This kind of touting is sickening and outrageous! How has Hong Kong’s former electoral system, which had been in use for nearly a decade, become a deterrent to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation? It is absolutely illogical and ludicrous. It is completely unconvincing, not only does it not help to promote the proposal and dispel Hong Kong people’s worries, but is instead detestable. They want to use the propaganda of the CCP to show their loyalty, and to pander to Xi Jinping’s dream of national rejuvenation; sadly, the tiger they tried to draw ended up looking like a dog. This is precisely the pro-establishment camp that Beijing officials refer to as “loyal garbage,” and it is aptly described!

Yet, garbage officials are not limited to the Hong Kong government and the pro-establishment camp. How many falsely loyal and incompetent officials can be found in the Hong Kong and Macau system from Beijing to Hong Kong? In recent years, the Western District has interfered greatly in Hong Kong’s internal policy-making, involving officials from the Hong Kong and Macau system in important personnel decisions, policy addresses and even the budget. Almost all of those in the pro-establishment camp had received the blessing of the Hong Kong and Macau system, with some even being referred to as “Western District’s godsons and goddaughters.” We all know how well these people have performed! Very often, it was not that they were incapable but that the decision-makers did not understand Hong Kong, and that their thoughts and ideas were completely detached from the reality of Hong Kong, disregarding public sentiment and disobeying public opinion. Naturally, they got half the result with twice the effort.

Zhang Xiaoming, Deputy Director of the Hong Kong And Macau Affairs Office of the State Council, ought to be highly competent. However, the day after the resolution on political reform was passed, he went south to Hong Kong to brief the public and to listen to the views of different sectors of Hong Kong society. How humorous! After you have already made the decision, then you come for opinions? What is the point of explaining why and how to cook rice only after it is already cooked? Does it mean that those “loyal garbage” of Hong Kong, such as the pro-establishment camp and members of the NPC and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), who explain and interpret to the people of Hong Kong every day, were just talking gibberish? Now that Deng Xiaoping’s explanation of “one country, two systems” has gone down in history, is Deputy Director Zhang even more authoritative than Deng? The problem is not a question of competence!

(Poon Siu-to, veteran journalist)

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