No matter what rhetoric is used, if you apply a little basic logic, the so-called “improving” Hong Kong’s electoral system under Beijing’s leadership can never fool you. In any case, it has decided to renege on its promises wholeheartedly as though they were never made before, then regardless of the mumbo jumbo, it will just serve to illustrate its inability to realize one country, two systems. In the logic of Foreign Minister Wang Yi, “Hong Kong people have the most say as to whether one country, two systems has worked well or not.” At the time when “one country, two systems” was proposed, Professor Tian, who nowadays criticizes loyal garbage with the attitude of a Basic Law guardian, was still in his diapers.

Nevertheless, his remarks were not entirely wrong. If we look at how the pro-establishment figures who were involved in the advocacy of one country, two systems have spent all these years undermining themselves and dancing spinelessly with Beijing in a repeated back-and-forth fashion, we can see that the description “loyal garbage” speaks for itself.

Under the future “improved” electoral system, it is indeed a mystery how the pro-establishment camp, which has been destroying Hong Kong’s original institution, will fare under the deformed concept of one country, two systems. The horn has been blown, and the repeatedly recycled garbage will not necessarily be able to be castrated again under the new circumstances. It was precisely because they are so rubbish that Grandpa was forced to take the field himself, thus exposing the whole world to the sham of the so-called “improving” the electoral system and the absurdity of one country, two systems. After this new round of loyalty dance, sooner or later, the loyal garbage will be wound up.

The question is, can taking absolute control of Hong Kong really wipe out everything that has happened in the past two decades through the improvement of people’s livelihood and development? This once civilized international metropolis has been thrown back into a state of degradation far worse than it was half a century ago. It has been a collective experience across generations that the way of life of Hong Kong people has been severely damaged and their values destroyed. Can it be dismissed as non-existent just because Beijing claims so?

The deep-rooted conflicts in Hong Kong have never been only about people’s livelihood, the economy or housing issues. For decades, Hong Kong people have been demonstrating to the world their strong will to fight for democracy and protect human rights. It should be apparent that over the past 20 years or so since the transfer of sovereignty, the more the government has attempted to rely on the loyal garbage to lead Hong Kong’s development, the more the people of Hong Kong have become skeptical of one country, two systems. Today, using this so-called “improvement” to overturn everything will not only fail to solve the deep-rooted political conflicts that have accumulated in Hong Kong over the years, but will only further intensify them.

Had the incompetent Tung Chee-hwa, the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong, not been assisted by Anson Chan at the beginning of the handover, the brief political honeymoon period might not have happened at all. After getting rid of Mrs. Chan, Tung Chee-hwa ended up making a huge mess and had to step down in disgrace. After he stepped down, they had to rely on someone with bureaucratic rationality associated with the civil service system, namely Donald Tsang, to clean up the mess. The main reason for Leung Chun-ying to take over the throne of the Chief Executive was to prove to the people of Hong Kong that another loyal garbage was simply too inept. One of the main reasons why many people had misgivings about him after he ascended to the throne was because he had appointed the then promising Carrie Lam as his Chief Secretary. Now, if we compare the performances of the administrations in the hearts of Hong Kong people, it is not difficult to observe that all these people have become either true or fake loyal garbage. Such “improvement” will only create more garbage!

An “improved” one country, two systems will only be dominated by loyal garbage, and one country, two systems will further become a nightmare that drives people away. Fantasy and hope for the future are no longer the talks of the town. More than a million people want to emigrate, not because they have doubts about the future, but because they are extremely dissatisfied with reality. No one can say for sure whether “keep the island but not the people” was Beijing’s true intention, but it may well become the future. If it does, it will only prove that the so-called great cause of national reunification will only recover the empty hollow shell of Hong Kong, instead of its historical achievements that bear the elements of civilization and humanity. When only garbage can be accommodated, the result is the abolition of one country, two systems. And the abolished one country, two systems will only create more garbage.

(Chung Kim-wah, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute)

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