by Koo Lap

The worst has yet to come. A National Security Law drafted within a black box by China. With details of the law still undisclosed, the former Chief Justice of Hong Kong, the retired Honourable Andrew Li Kwok-nang, has expressed concerns that the independent judicial power in Hong Kong would be undermined if the Chief Executive has the power to appoint judges to preside over National Security cases. Carrie Lam remains unwavered in her commitment and dismissed such concerns in spite of the fact that she has also yet to see the details of the new law.

The Presence of Evil will be the Doom of a Nation

Carrie Lam has emphasized that not only is she the Chief of the Executive Office but she also represents the entire Hong Kong. With the law creating panic in the city, Lam, as the Chief Executive, cannot deny that Tam Yiu-chung, a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC), has more knowledge on the details of the new law than she. Lam had secured the Chief Executive election with 777 ballots; how many votes did Tam get? It goes without saying what kind of legislation will be enacted by the NPCSC under a hush-hush legislative procedure.

Li spent his entire life devoted to the rule of law, yet he can believe that a law with undisclosed details, passed through mysterious procedures that acquired zero public consultation, involvement or discussion will still follow the legal principle of presumption of innocence known to the Hong Kong people. With such confidence in the legislative lawmaking process of the NPCSC, Li will likely accept Zhang Xiaoming’s description of China’s judicial system:

“The criminal justice system in Hong Kong is similar to that of mainland China. The mainland also has to follow proper procedures, and the rights of suspects, defendants and others involved in a lawsuit are protected by the principle of no punishment without law.”

Hongkongers, not born yesterday, can easily spot such a blatant lie. If the mainland’s judicial system were truly “similar” to that in Hong Kong, then why not follow Hong Kong’s legislative rules and procedures and allow for public discussion, fair deliberation, and scrutiny instead of operating inside a black box. Despite the National Security Law being forced upon Hong Kong, Tam absurdly insisted that Hongkongers should be grateful and give thanks to the painstaking measures taken by the CCP. Anyone with a backbone in Hong Kong would not kowtow to such a request. With that said, Joseph Yam Chi-kwong, the “Czar of Hong Kong”, did manage to do as such; although he did not cry in tears and bow in the direction of the north, he clamored to thank God at the sound of the National Security Law. The presence of evil will indeed be the doom of a nation.

Power Suppression Cannot Put Out Fire in a Rage

Chinese Communist rule is known to be strongest in lying blatantly, coercing and using violent repression. The free flow of information in Hong Kong allows its people to be knowledgeable hence cannot be easily deceived. In the event the lies fail, an angry CCP can only deploy an iron hand. Luckily, Hong Kong has gained many international allies through half a century of free and open market. Many countries are sympathetic to Hong Kong and slammed the CCP’s brutal and reckless approaches. Nonetheless, under such power suppression, Hong Kong has lost its freedom and will eventually lose its status as an international finance center. If Xi Jinping destroys Hong Kong, he will be crowned the “Nation’s Sinner” as dubbed by Zhu Rongji.

Unless a person has zero intelligence, no one in the right mind would choose this time to batter Hong Kong. The novel coronavirus has caused deaths in the millions and the global economy is in a turmoil never seen before. As the country of the initial virus outbreak, China cannot avoid a domestic economic slump and rising unemployment. Internationally, the only remaining allies are North Korea, Iran, Russia and Venezuela. In the midst of conflicts internally and externally, the Chinese economy has fallen into the worst crisis since the opening of China. The problems cannot be easily dismissed and responsibilities shirked away.

A system without free will is merely a machine that will approve any law even if it were operated in a black box and recklessly put together. But so what? Hong Kong’s resistance to the authoritarian regime has resulted in nearly 9,000 people arrested, aged between 11 and 83, which shows that people, regardless of age, gender, occupation and status quo, despise an unjust authority. Power suppression cannot cease the rage in people, revolt is inevitable. Those who rule and hold power without the support of its people can never have a good night’s sleep.


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