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Cunning good-for-nothings|Lau Sai-leung

蘋果日報 2021/03/09 10:31


After the 2.28 mass round-up, a show of gruelling trials was put on to awe the pro-democracy camp and Hong Kong people. A layer of unauthorized construction - a mechanism for vetting candidates for their qualifications, for which the Election Committee is responsible - is to be added to the existing electoral arrangement. What’s more, a retro dish was served up: “indirect election”, for which the Election Committee is responsible as well. As regards the composition of the Election Committee, seats for District Council members authorized by public opinion are allocated to members of CCP(Chinese Communist Party)’s peripheral organizations. Hong Kong is then put under overall direct jurisdiction by the CCP. The major hindrances - the pro-democracy figures - are already eradicated, irrespective of whether they have disbanded, withdrawn from a party, gone into exile or been thrown in jail. The purge of the civil forces can be put on hold for a while. Meanwhile, however, the spearhead of party-run media is targeted at the AOs(Administrative Officers)’ party. Tian Feilong from one of the Mainland think tanks pointed out that patriots are not supposed to play as rubber stamps, and “loyal good-for-nothings” are to be ditched. It seems that the denunciation against the AOs’ party will be followed by criticism of and struggle against the “loyal good-for-nothings” among the pro-establishment camp.

Disintegration of pro-democracy camp doesn’t make pro-establishment camp capable

According to On Contradiction by Mao Zedong, we have to grasp the major contradiction among a lot of contradictions. While the homogeneity of contradictions is conditional and relative, the combative nature of them is unconditional and absolute. I am afraid patriots have not yet understood it, or the pro-establishment figures nowadays have never read it. What is the major contradiction in Hong Kong? It used to be the conflict between the opposition faction and the CCP before enactment of the National Security Law (NSL). Since resetting Hong Kong, the CCP has been substantially shrinking the room for the opposition faction to engage in political activities, and capitalizing on the law to cope with the forces of local youths which have been budding in recent years. Tapping into CCP’s way of thinking, one will find that all issues should be looked into from the perspective of “development”, meaning that after winning in the struggle against the major contradiction, the issues would not disappear. After scoring a victory, the patriots, with political resources allocated by the CCP, can feel relieved when taking up the posts of the Chief Executive, LegCo members, Secretaries, Under Secretaries and Political Assistants, and moving up to live in the Mid-Levels West. Since contradictions are transformable, contradictions that used to be the minor in the past will become the major. That’s why the homogeneity of contradictions is relative , and the combative nature of them is absolute. With the NSL implemented and the electoral arrangement reset by the National People’s Congress, the major contradiction in Hong Kong will be gone. At the same time, three minor contradictions will become the major contradictions for another wave of struggles. They are the three existing political forces: the AOs’ party, the pro-establishment camp and the commercial circles.
Since the Handover in 1997, the issue of the AOs’ party has been high on the political agenda for Beijing. But in view of such a colossal team - 700 AOs – responsible for running the government, no one has dared to take action rashly. Nevertheless, there have been tactics to whitter down AOs’ power such as the struggle against Anson Chan Fang On-sang, establishment of an accountability system for high-ranking officials and its extension. The AOs’ party getting more and more domineering has something to do with the pro-establishment camp wanting in people of a high calibre. In those years, Zeng Qinghong requested the pro-establishment figure to “promote their public image and enhance their own calibre”. More than ten years on, there has been just one more bunch of “loyal good-for-nothings” who are incapable of putting forward any political discourse and whose academic qualifications are the laughing stock of Hong Kong. By the same measure, the figures from the commercial circles, who are just political free riders doing their jobs perfunctorily, do not even live up to the standard of a professional politician, and are only good at being a rubber stamp in the legislature. How is patriots’ capacity for governance ameliorated after the political room for the opposition camp curtailed? Even if the pro-democracy camp smashes into pieces, it does not mean people like Starry Lee Wai-king and Kwok Wai-keung will become competent all at once. It is after all too harsh to require a political free rider only adept at bringing the skills of a wolf warrior into full play by shouting at the pro-democracy figures to be able to initiate political discourses and platforms, and held accountable to the masses. Even though the aforementioned three forces are beaten, or all of them are replaced by returnees of a high calibre from overseas, it is hardly impossible to assume everyone is red and professional, loyal and capable.
Seeming complicated and intricate, the Hong Kong issue is actually attributable to the ambiguity of authority and responsibility, and no distinction between those meriting rewards and those deserving punishments. It is not the pro-democracy camp that dragged down the quality of governance for Hong Kong for they have never had the opportunity to share the power. The three major forces in power have never been held accountable to anyone, with their authority fragmented. Having no common political belief, they are just a rabble of scoundrels who act upon directives given by the CCP. Being deficient in political energy and engaging in politics merely for personal benefits, they cannot even be reckoned politically allegiant, but just typical sycophantic wage earners who pretend to be working when having a meeting with their boss, and mostly whiling away their time by indulging themselves in beer and skittles.
Though resetting the electoral arrangement this time is an additional safety factor for the CCP, it will run counter to their desire in terms of raising the governance standard. Doubtful? Look at the first Budget after the opposition camp having been purged!
Click here for Chinese version
(Lau Sai-leung, political commentator)
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