It has been a common quibbling by Zhang Xiao-ming, Carrie Lam and others from the pro-establishment camp that the national security law will only pinpoint a small group of people, and therefore for the majority of the public who hasn’t done anything wrong, there is nothing to worry about. However, the prime concern is: if something good I’ve done can be arbitrarily defined as wrong, how can I safeguard myself?

Just a few days ago, at a time the national security law was still in draft, Zhang just couldn’t wait to publicly label negative media coverages on China as acts that subvert the state. But who are going to define the so-called “negative coverages”? I am afraid that is not the Hong Kong public for sure. In fact, the South China Morning Post, a relatively pro-Beijing press in Hong Kong, got themselves into big trouble as they publicized news stories about the assets owned by Xi Jin-ping’s family in Hong Kong. So according to Zhang’s standards, SCMP already committed the offence of subversion.

In the earlier stage of the anti-extradition protest, Li Ka-shing stood out and pledged the “successors” to a way out. Now as quite a few of the “successors” have been urging for the independence of Hong Kong, has Li also become a suspect of the crime? And once the communist China needs to act against him, the date of reckoning will come.

Basing on the Basic Law, Hong Kong people enjoy the rights of peaceful demonstration and assembly. But once the national security law is in effect, assembling for supporting the human rights activists in China will easily become a crime. Likewise, commemorating the June 4 Incident will break the law too.

What matters most is not what one has done, but whether communist China views that as a threat to their ruling. In practice, the crime is defined not even by the national security law, but by individual officials basing on their subjective judgement. The one who initiates the prosecution can be Zhang, Lam or Cheng Yeuk-wah. The one being prosecuted can be me, you or anyone else.

So, is the national security law going to target just a few or the most of the public?

For decades, Hong Kong people have been used to reporting, sharing and believing negative media coverages about China. Disregarding one’s political preference, everyone knows that in China there are widespread corruption in officialdom, correction camps in Xinjiang and oppression against churches. We only care about whether something carries truth in it or not, rather than whether it is anti-communist or not.

With the implementation of the national security law, any truth that is against communist China’s interests will be labelled as fake, whereas something never happens but facilitates their ruling will become the “truth”. And those who dare not obey commit crime.

Then it comes to the essence of the whole issue: the national security law is nothing but an utter intimidation of the general public of Hong Kong.

(Ngan Shun Kau is a veteran publisher and writer. His publications and works are award-winning.)

---------------------------------
Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app
To know more: https://bit.ly/2yMMfQE
Apple Daily mobile app latest version DOWNLOAD NOW