Through its manipulation of the Hong Kong government, the CCP regime has recently gone on an arresting spree and put Hong Kong’s democrats on some inhumane trial in order to intimidate them and undermine the rule of law in Hong Kong. Now, it is about to formally lock Hong Kong’s democracy in an iron cage through its alterations to Hong Kong’s electoral system. This will stifle the pluralistic development of Hong Kong politics. Democracy in Hong Kong will exist in name only.

At a meeting of the 13th National People’s Congress in Beijing, China has decided to amend Annex I and Annex II of the Hong Kong Basic Law, i.e., altering the ways Hong Kong Chief Executive and Hong Kong Legislative Council elections are conducted. Citing the requirement of “patriots ruling Hong Kong”, it is set to create a “whole-process screening mechanism” to monitor Chief Executive and the Legislative Council elections. This is tantamount to systematically depriving Hong Kong democrats of the opportunities to enter politics in a top-down manner. In essence, it will mean making multiparty politics impossible in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council.

Since late last year, the CCP has first undermined the spirit of the rule of law in Hong Kong through the indiscriminate arrests and oppressive trials of dissidents. Now it is making another move to alter the Basic Law in a flagrant attempt to manipulate elections. Not only is it suppressing Hong Kong’s democratic development, but it is also hammering the final nail into the coffin of the so-called “One Country, Two Systems”.

According to a speech by Wang Chen, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the election systems for the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council will be substantially revised. In addition to giving the Election Committee a larger proportion of seats in the Legislative Council, the Election Committee will also be given the power to directly nominate all Legislative Council candidates. Apart from that, a whole-process screening mechanism will also be created. With this amendment, the Election Committee will become a “Supreme Council” above Hong Kong’s Chief Executive (the executive branch) and the Legislative Council (the legislative branch). The CCP will even set up a screening agency to eliminate any opportunities for the democrats and dissidents to participate in politics.

While Beijing calls this exercise the implementation of “patriots ruling Hong Kong”, it is, in essence, yet another heavy blow to Hong Kong’s dying democracy. In the future, the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council will not have checks and balances between political parties. There will be no competition or the transition of power. They will become nothing more than Beijing’s mouthpiece and rubber stamp in Hong Kong.

Regarding Beijing’s move to alter Hong Kong’s electoral systems, incumbent Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam expressed support for the move after meeting with Vice Premier Han Zheng, even claiming that the change was legal and constitutional. Carrie Lam’s statement, which was aimed at expressing allegiance to Beijing, was extremely absurd and defied common sense. In a fully-fledged democracy in the contemporary world, people’s right to participate in politics and right of expression are protected by the constitution. Dissident views at odds with the government should enjoy legal protection under the constitution. Beijing’s alteration of Hong Kong’s electoral systems and the establishment of a screening agency with unchecked powers will not only restrict people’s right to participate in politics, but will also mean dissent views in society will no longer be allowed.

Furthermore, alterations to the electoral systems for Chief Executive and Legislative Council elections in such a one-off move under the pretext of “patriots ruling Hong Kong” means in practice that the executive and legislative branches of government will lose their legitimacy, and the constitutional spirit of the legislature monitoring the executive will no longer exist. Carrie Lam’s speech was an insult to Hong Kong’s democracy that also showed her ignorance about constitutional government.

On the other hand, concerning the elections for the next term of the Legislative Council, the pro-democracy camp, riding on a wave of pro-democracy and pro-universal-suffrage sentiments last year, actually had a big chance of clinching a majority in the Legislative Council in one go. Faced with such a possible outcome, the Hong Kong government used the pandemic as an excuse to call off the election and postpone it for a year. Now, with the CCP’s malicious alterations to the electoral systems, it is now uncertain whether the Legislative Council elections, which were called off last year, can be conducted this year. Carrie Lam is unable to give a definite time when the elections will be conducted. According to analyses by a number of media outlets, it is highly likely for the elections to be postponed for yet another year.

In any case, the new term of the Hong Kong Legislative Council will no longer be a legitimate reflection of public opinion, given the new electoral systems and monitoring by Beijing.

The CCP’s malicious alterations to Hong Kong’s electoral systems have already provoked a chorus of criticisms by the international community and Hong Kong society. The US State Department condemned China for its “continuing assault on democratic institutions in Hong Kong”. The European Union has said that the move by the authorities in Beijing “would undermine fundamental freedoms, political pluralism and democratic principles” in Hong Kong. Hong Kong scholars are worried that the alterations will be a retrograde step for Hong Kong’s democracy, making governance out of touch with real public opinion and causing an absence of opposition in the future Legislative Council. But the CCP insists on altering Hong Kong’s electoral systems in such a barbarian manner nevertheless at the expense of human rights, the rule of law, and democracy in Hong Kong. The lie of “One Country, Two Systems” in Hong Kong has been exposed by Beijing itself. How can Taiwan follow in Hong Kong’s footsteps?

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