Hong Kong Security Law
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Hong Kong Security Law

It is time the Western anti-China movement and its hypocritical politicians and media faced the facts. China’s proposal to introduce a long-overdue law to protect national security in Hong Kong is necessary, correct and popular. There are valid concerns about its implementation but these do not invalidate the principle.

Necessary and correct

There is no need to re-state the legal arguments for this law.  They are plain and clear in article 18 of the Basic Law.  Almost every country in the world has some such security laws.  The USA has many.   

Even the ‘hero’ of democracy in Hong Kong, former Governor, Chris Patten, tried to introduce such a bill in 1996.  This was to rationalise the mess of laws previous colonial administrations had left behind.  His bill was never passed.

In an excellent article in the South China Morning Post, Henry Litton, one of Hong Kong’s best known Appeal Court judges, wrote:

To improve on those laws, his administration introduced into the Legislative Council the Crimes (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, dealing principally with the crimes of “subversion” and “secession”.

Henry Litton concludes:

As things stand today, the reaction of the Western leaders is so premature, disproportionate and, in the circumstances, so irrational, that it leads one to wonder if there is some other agenda at work. Is all this happening in the context of a much bigger plan? Is a geopolitical chess game being played, with Hong Kong and its people being used as pawns?

My answer is of course – yes.

Nearly 2.93 million Hong Kong residents recently signed a petition in support of the national security legislation during an eight-day campaign across Hong Kong.

Through the petition we hope to express Hong Kong residents’ full support for the correct decision on establishing and improving, at the state level, the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security”.

one of the initiators of the campaign, Tam Yiu-chung

Tam Yiu-Chung is one of Hong Kong’s senior politicians and has been an active trade unionist, campaigner and politician for most of his life.  I know him; he has always had my trust and support and does so today. 

Let us look at the numbers – critically important, surely, for those claiming to be democrats.  The population of Hong Kong is 7.5 million.  The largest number of protestors against the Hong Kong Government’s Extradition bill was under 1 million in August 2019.  Those protesting the National Security law have numbered well under 100,000.  

Hong Kong Security Law

As I said in my post about the Western media’s biased coverage,  90% of the Hong Kong population did not protest and is not protesting now.  Furthermore, 39% now say they support a new law that is so supposedly unpopular in Hong Kong according to Western politicians and media. 

Politicians, members of the Western Press, do these numbers mean nothing?

By Mark Hang Fung So
By Mark Hang Fung So

There are different views in Hong Kong, as there are in all societies.  The teenagers and student rioters, almost sanctified by Western media, have some valid concerns.  They may say, correctly, that the Hong Kong Government has not properly addressed these concerns.  

However, Hong Kong people will not accept rioting, chaos and disruption to their lives and to business.  There are better ways to bring about change.  This is what the PRC Government recognised in proposing a Security Law.  The Hong Kong Government has failed to do this since Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 just as Chris Patten failed in 1996.

Conclusion

The new law is thus correct and necessary to control the continuing rioting.  It is popular in a large section of the population because Hong Kong people hope and believe that it will do so.

Worked on the article:

Wanlikhang

Wanlikhang

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