Editorial: Say whatever the party says to say | Apple Daily HK
The “Two Sessions” plenum of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the biggest political shows of the year, have begun. They have always been the masterpiece of China’s “birdcage” politics, and Shen Jilan would be their best representative. Shen was a delegate to the NPC for 66 years and had not once cast a negative vote, a role model for “I do whatever the party told me to do.” In the last couple of years, there are only parrots left in the birdcage because no one wants to be held accountable by disagreeing with and discussing the central government’s decisions and policies. The “I will say whatever party told me to say” scenario is getting more severe. The Hongkongers are concerned about how the CCP will amend the Basic Law to reach its goal of “patriots govern Hong Kong,” but no way will we be able to hear a debate on the subject with the pros and cons. Only praise is allowed.
Theoretically, the NPC is China’s highest authority, but its agendum and topics each year have always been determined by the CCP’s Central Politburo. Its delegates are only robots to press the voting buttons, and the Congress is a rubber stamp that has never vetoed any personnel appointments, laws, reports, and resolutions. After being elected as a delegate to the first-ever NPC in 1954, Shen stayed in the position for 66 consecutive years until she died of illness in 2020. What she had been proud of is that she has never cast a negative vote.
Shen’s “yes” vote is nothing out of the ordinary in the election history of the CCP, unlike a negative vote. When the CPPCC held an election for the Chairman of the Central People’s government in September 1949, Mao Zedong received 575 out of 576 votes. An investigation took place and had discovered the only person who voted against Mao was Zhang Dongsun, Secretary-general of the China Democratic League. Zhang was accused of selling information to the U.S. two years later and stripped of his position, and he died in prison during the Cultural Revolution. He had three sons, two of whom committed suicide, and one became mentally disordered after being detained for a long time.
A similar scenario as history occurred. At the first session of the 12th NPC, Xi Jinping received 2,953 votes and was elected Chairman. There was one vote against and three abstentions. It was unclear whether the CCP investigated who voted against Xi. Luckily, no incident like Zhang, whose family was ruined because he had cast a negative vote, has happened again. However, as disagreeing with and discussing the central government’s decisions and policies has become an offense, Xi got re-elected with zero negative votes and zero abstention at the first session of the 13th NPC five years later.
There was one against and six abstentions at the voting on the legislation of the Hong Kong national security law resolution at the third session of the 13th NPC last year. Many media and netizens tried to find out who has voted against and have pointed the finger at Michael Tien, who denied, “No, I did not...sorry to disappoint you.” “Patriots govern Hong Kong” seems to be the way to go nowadays. If the election system of Hong Kong has been amended, re-incorporated into the Annex of the Basic Law, and implemented, will there be any negative vote again? Would it mean casting a negative vote is violating the Hong Kong national security law, more severe than the pro-democratic primary election? Besides, who wants to end up like Zhang?
In fact, a party-approved language has to be used when deliberating the legislation issues on “patriots govern Hong Kong” at the “Two Sessions,” let alone casting a negative vote. On Feb. 22, Xia Baolong, representing the office of the Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, delivered a speech at a forum on “patriots govern Hong Kong” and emphasized that, whether it is the implementation of Hong Kong national security law or improving Hong Kong’s election system, they have been “upholding and improving one country, two systems.” The spokesperson of the “Two Sessions,” representatives and committee members are, of course, treating these words as the decree from the emperor. They will say whatever the party says, and tirelessly repeat that “patriots govern Hong Kong” should be the due and core meaning of one country, two systems.
What is “patriots govern Hong Kong”? The CCP officials like Xia and party-appointed scholars all claimed this is a concept from Deng Xiaoping. But they have omitted an important part of the full text that is “Hong Kong people rule Hong Kong, with patriots as the main body” and completely distorted the due and core meaning of “patriots as the main body.”
The Hong Kong representatives of the NPC and the members of the CPPCC have to be the security guards at the gate of the birdcage to save their own glamorous status. So when Xia criticized Hong Kong “has not yet truly formed a solid phase of “patriots govern Hong Kong,” whether in the administrative, legislative, judicial and other political organs of the special administrative region, or in non-political organizations such as the district council, as well as in the fields of education, media, etc.,” all the pro-communist politicians come out in force and attack the administrative officers, judges, district councilors, teachers and journalists like a pack of wild dogs on their prey. What a sad sight!
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