As the Chinese saying goes, if the name does not reflect the essence, then what is addressed will not be what is defined. The official mouthpiece says “improving the electoral system,” but ordinary folks should not just echo whatever people say, instead all things should be justifiable according to their names first. To begin, we must understand that this is not an “improvement,” but an “end.” Moreover, they are not elections, but only a pretense of elections.

There is little to discuss after the broken promises and distortion of common sense. However, we can review the situation of various people.

The Chief Executive becomes an usher: In the “five-step political reform process” after the National People’s Congress’s (NPC) 2004 interpretation of the Basic Law, the HKSAR Chief Executive finally has a leading role in the political reform process, literally. The Chief Executive proposes a motion, agrees to reforms passed by the Legislative Council (LegCo), and then submits it to the NPC, accounting for three of the five steps. This time, the law has to be revised as a facade to put an end to elections. Carrie Lam takes on the NPC’s broken promises with a gleeful demeanor, saying she feels “fulfilled.” She has transformed herself into a driver who guides the way (apologies to all bus drivers, I hope you won’t be offended).

In order to end elections and try to master a “combative legal combo” (in the words of Li Zhanshu, Chairman of the NPC’s Standing Committee), they had to hastily forge legal weapons and amend more than 20 legislations without in-depth consultation, acting forcefully and rashly. Again, it was time for the “good fighter” Carrie Lam to make her appearance. Without any consultation or discussion, laws were blindly changed within a short period of time and they are bound to bang their heads on the wall at any time. Well-versed in the procedures of the officialdom, Carrie Lam has become a competent usher. The passenger is always right so Carrie Lam will guide the bureaucrats however they want to end the elections, avoiding the thorns and gravels of the law while boasting her superior skills and determination to achieve her mission. This is the remaining value of Carrie Lam. In the end, it will be a catastrophic crash with the success credited to Carrie Lam’s contribution.

Personnel changes among the loyal garbage: The government’s history of degradation has been marked by many familiar faces. From the condemnation of the June Fourth Incident to the instantaneous change of face to look up to the power, no one ever knew the virtues and capabilities of these people. For more than 20 years, they have had all the advantages in the world, and yet they failed to prove their loyalty and bred a new generation of resistance. The central government’s “think-tanks” became impatient and explicitly rejected these “loyal garbage,” saying that some so-called patriots were mere “fake loyalty” and “only good for taking sides,” and that the central government wanted “competent people.” The true nasty ones, fake doctors and lawyers, everyone finds themselves in danger.

The rules of the game have turned upside down with fewer directly elected seats. The election committee is transformed into “a relatively larger share” of the LegCo, and the Tsinghua gang, the Liaison Office gang and the Clansmen associations gang are all eager to try their luck. A national loyalty game has begun. The central government was so wise that it deliberately expanded the legislature when ending the elections to avoid people from all walks of life making a fool of themselves. Nevertheless, with the sudden emergence of a political vacuum, a vicious struggle between loyal garbage was inevitable, and a bloody campaign of criticism and rectification gradually took shape.

The biggest winner is the bureaucrats in charge of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office: The selection and election of the NPC and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (PCC) have always been coordinated and led by the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government (LOCPG). Once the LOCPG published its list, who could contend with it? In the future, not only will a large proportion of the seats of the election committee be dominated by the LOCPG and bureaucrats in charge of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, thus directly controlling the distribution of various advantages and de facto power, they will also dominate a new central body of power, a mechanism of qualification review that will control the patriotic virtues of any legislator and exercise the power of life and death. Those who are threatened are not only the opposition in the legislature, but also the garbage who pretend to be loyal, or those who are competent but not loyal enough.

The pan-democratic party is at a loss for words on the transformation: The mutual destruction was supposed to be within expectations but the democratic parties seem to be struggling to figure out the way forward. To elect or not to elect in the future? To be or not to be a political vase? With the political dog hole ahead, will they need to bend over backward in humiliation? What else can be fought for in terms of party platform and political platform? What else can be said? When one falls into a state of inarticulation, one can consider changing to a “white paper party” whose political platform slogans are expressed as “XXXX, XXXX” on eight blank sheets of paper, or “XXXXX” on five blank sheets of paper. In post-electoral politics, everything is left blank and demands are kept in the heart. Let’s not forget the absurdity whilst we are living.

The pet era of Hong Kong people: Someone once described Tibetans as the country’s pets. When the government is pleased with you, it praises you for your unique culture, your purity of mind, and the harmony of the people. Yet as soon as you show the slightest displeasure and offend the authorities, they will immediately change their faces and kill the hounds when the hares have been hunted. Hong Kong people, your new designated role is that of a pet. If you obey, you will be fed and live a comfortable life. But do not glare at your master, remember to be meek and tame, practice your loyalty well, and win your master’s heart, then you will have a promising future.

In the face of the great changes in Hong Kong, please do not let us forget, do not be desensitized, and do not grow accustomed. Those who can still shine need not wait for the torch flame; those who can still smile can send contempt and hatred; when you see the blossoming flowers, do not forget the skeletons on the ground; and as for the lurking ninjas, please keep your shadows hidden.

(Allan Au Ka-lun, veteran journalist)

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