Behind the curtain: The dark blue may become capable and virtuous personages
Beijing officially declared the electoral arrangement for elections in Hong Kong at the meetings of the National People’s Congress(NPC) and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Congress(CPPCC). The political and government circles had anticipated room for the pro-democracy camp to engage in politics would be significantly shrunk, and the pro-establishment camp would get a bigger piece of “pie in politics” for sharing. However, in the meantime, Tian Feilong, an associate professor at Beihang University’s Law School in Beijing and the executive director of the One Country Two Systems Legal Studies Centre, brought up the notion that the “patriots” Beijing looks for are not “rubber stamps or loyal good-for-nothings, but capable and virtuous patriots”, which has inexorably prompted people to speculate it is possible for Beijing to kick out some among the bunch of pro-establishment figures Beijing has to make do with. That said, some from the political and government circles are of the view that the way Beijing defines capable pro- establishment figures is not necessarily the same as the way Hong Kong people grasp it.
Not necessarily the same as how Hong Kong people understand it
Quite a number of people from the political and government circles pointed out that Beijing reckoning part of the pro- establishment figures incompetent is an open secret. It has been rumored time and again that Beijing presses the pro- establishment camp to perform better. Last year, this newspaper revealed the Chief Executive’s Office “snitched on the pro-establishment camp” in its report on the anti-pandemic work to the central government, criticizing them for lashing out at the administration instead of standing by the Hong Kong government. A source from the political and government circles said outright that a go-between inquired from him afterwards about “whether the pro--establishment camp is that ne’er-do-well”. It can be seen from this that even though Beijing might not heed only the Hong Kong government’s discontents with the pro-establishment camp, “it is pretty probable Beijing did listen, and wanted to look into the capability of the pro-establishment figures”.
Yet, a conservative political figure said that if one believes Beijing would kick out some among the bunch of pro-establishment figures Beijing has to make do with, perhaps one “has thought too much”. He also reminded Hong Kong people that
the way the central government defines “capable and virtuous patriots is not necessarily the same as, or even totally different from, the way Hong Kong people do so. He cited an example: last year, after the NPC passing the National Security Law for Hong Kong, when Director of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Xia Baolong met CPPCC members, he singled out by name LegCo member Junius Ho Kwan-yiu, who was one of those initiating the joint signatures in support of legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law. “Despite some pro-establishment figures deeming Junius Ho incompetent and standing out just by appearing to be as leftist as possible, maybe that is capability in the eyes of Beijing officials.” So, he said in recent days some dark-blues and Leung Chun-ying’s fans have got civil servants in the cross hairs of criticism and struggle. Notwithstanding some pro-establishment politicians considering that way too leftist than needed, “maybe that batch of people are exactly the capable pro-establishment figures Beijing looks for”.
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