HONG KONG, Nov 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) —All of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy lawmakers have announced their resignation after Beijing forced the removal of four of their colleagues.
On Wednesday Beijing passed a resolution allowing the city’s government to dismiss politicians deemed a threat to national security.
The opposition lawmakers then said they would leave in solidarity.
For the first time since Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997 the body has almost no dissenting voices.
The dismissal of the four legislators is viewed by many as the latest attempt by China to restrict Hong Kong’s freedoms – something Beijing denies.
Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai told reporters following the lawmakers’ removal: “We can no longer tell the world that we still have ‘one country, two systems’, this declares its official death.”
Hong Kong – formerly a British colony – was returned to China under the “one country, two systems” principle, which allowed it to retain more rights and freedoms than the mainland until 2047.
But in late June China passed a controversial, far-reaching national security law in the territory after years of pro-democracy and anti-Beijing protests, which reduced Hong Kong’s autonomy and made it easier to punish demonstrators.
The city’s pro-democracy legislators had 19 seats in the 70-seat legislature. All those members have now left – either by resigning or by being dismissed.
The new resolution passed by China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee on Wednesday says that lawmakers should be disqualified if they support Hong Kong independence, refuse to acknowledge China’s sovereignty, ask foreign forces to interfere in the city’s affairs or in other ways threaten national security.
It also allows the Hong Kong government to directly remove lawmakers without having to approach the courts.
Moments after that resolution passed, four lawmakers – Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-ki and Dennis Kwok of the Civic Party and Kenneth Leung of the Professionals Guild – were dismissed.
“We… will stand with our colleagues who are disqualified. We will resign en masse,” Wu Chi-wai said. The 15 lawmakers’ letter of resignation were submitted on Thursday.
Two opposition lawmakers remain in the legislature – Cheng Chung-tai from the Civic Passion party and Pierre Chan, a medical doctor and lawmaker.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the disqualification of the four lawmakers was “rational, reasonable and in line with the constitution and laws”.
“This was a necessary requirement for adhering to and improving on ‘one country, two systems,’ implementing Hong Kong’s Basic Law, as well as Hong Kong’s National Security Law,” he said at a news conference in Beijing.
The territory’s leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, is pro-Beijing and is supported by the central government there.
Speaking to the media, Lam said the four council members who were disqualified had already failed to meet the requirements to stand in the now postponed elections next year.
She added that although she “welcomes diverse opinions in the Legislative Council” these had to be expressed “in a responsible manner”.
South China Morning Post newspaper quoted Ms Lam as saying no by-elections would be held in the four now vacant seats as legislative elections were only nine months away.
As a Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong was to have its own legal system, multiple political parties, and rights including freedom of assembly and free speech.
But the new security law for the city passed in response to months of pro-democracy protests criminalised “secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces”.
After the introduction of the security law the UK offered Hong Kong residents still holding British National Overseas (BNO) status a route to British citizenship.
Around 300,000 people currently hold BNO passports, while an estimated 2.9 million people born before the handover are eligible for one. — NNN-AGENCIES
