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After a summer and an autumn of fights inside Parliament, where one person was injured, where poop water was thrown and where four of the deputies were arrested, and after the debates in Parliament degenerated into long harangues of repetitions when MPs were deemed unable to avoid bills other than delaying the decision-making process: now all remaining democratic politicians in Hong Kong’s parliament are finally resigning.
The downfall was that the Chinese parliament, the People’s Congress, enacted a law allowing Hong Kong leaders to remove MPs directly, without due process, on the basis of the comprehensive security law that has been in place in Hong Kong. since July. Hong Kong leaders immediately fired four MPs.
The Hong Kong Democratic Parties are the parties in Parliament (Legco) that want to establish liberal democracy in Hong Kong. The other parties are called “loyal to Beijing.” As far as the Hong Kong parliament is concerned, therefore, nobody cares about a scale from right to left, only what they think about the free and general elections in Hong Kong.
The team criticized passed
One of those resigning now is Jeremy Tam, a former driver, who was hoarse when SVT found him in the rain at Victoria Park more than a year ago. He stood up and shouted into a megaphone on the day when the demonstrations in Hong Kong were at their peak.
Jeremy Tam had been instrumental in criticizing what was then a proposal for a national anthem, making it illegal to disrespect the Chinese national anthem. His biggest point there in the rain in Victoria Park over a year ago was that the law was not legally safe according to him. “Who can judge that I have not respected the national anthem?” he asked rhetorically.
The National Anthem Law was passed last summer. And a few days ago, last Thursday, a hotline was opened urging people to report anyone who has violated Hong Kong’s security law. A kind of hotline, where the informant is completely anonymous.
“Seen on the streets”
“Legal certainty” has become a popular term among representatives of Hong Kong Chinese politics. It was heard multiple times at today’s press conference with Hong Kong Prime Minister Carrie Lam, for example. As in English, the rule of law is called “rule by law” in Chinese. And the law in this case is the new security law. And since the decision to exclude four members is made under the Security Act, the process is by definition legally secure, according to Prime Minister Carrie Lam.
Another term that seems to lose its meaning every time it is used is “One country two system”, the name of the popular politics of an independent Hong Kong in China. China’s Foreign Ministry said today that the new law complements and guarantees the continuation of “One Country, Two Systems.” In their press conference, however, the outgoing MPs said that this is the definitive end of “One country, two systems.”
Now ex-MP Jeremy Tam said goodbye via an image on his Instagram today. He is standing in black clothing in front of a line of policemen wearing transparent riot shields. (In all likelihood taken from last year’s protests.) He looks grim and gazes at the horizon. The legend is: “See you on the streets!”
