A lesson from the Ho Hoo-hah

And so, it seems, we say farewell to the Great 2017 Junius Ho Hoo-hah. Many observers will conclude that the pro-Beijing lawmaker himself comes out of it looking rather like what is vulgarly known as an asshole. But even at the best of times, pro-Beijing lawmakers come across as (say) turkeys, at least.

In a way, Junius Ho showed unusual originality and flair in demanding that supporters of Hong Kong independence be killed. This outburst was not in accordance with instructions from Chinese Communist Party officials. While they would approve of the sentiment, they could not have welcomed such a blatant call to violence at a time when the United Front would prefer to encourage local moderates to split away from ‘extremist’ radical students. Struggle sessions and Red Guard lynch mobs can wait for a later stage of Hong Kong’s Cultural Revolution.

So Junius Ho was actually using his own mind, ugly and shallow though it may be. This is slightly impressive. Usually, the DAB and other pro-Beijing stooges say and do only what they are told.

The saga continued with a fuss over Ho’s academic and professional qualifications. Put kindly, he perhaps absent-mindedly misrepresented rather than blatantly lied about his status as a legal practitioner in England. This led pro-dem veteran Emily Lau to call for the Legislative Council to verify members’ claimed credentials. This in turn reminded everyone of the case of ‘Dr’ Elizabeth Quat of fake-degree fame (ditto ‘Dr’ Philip Wong).

Which brings us back to the pro-Beijing camp’s sorry roster of turkeys. Behold, along with Ho and Quat, lawmakers Priscilla ‘Rat Queen’ Leung, DAB figurehead-boss Starry Lee or deputy sub-assistant moron Holden Chow. These are the best the Communist Party’s local front can manage to attract as their friendly public faces and ‘popularly’ elected members of our rigged legislature. Of course, this is a camp that by definition does not allow its followers to think critically. At best, they are opportunists reciting the party line for some sort of gain. At worst, they are genuinely devoid of the intellect required to make coherent arguments. Either way – embarrassments.

Not all pro-dems are geniuses, but as a whole they are in a different league. Edward Yiu (who like all holders of real doctorates doesn’t style himself ‘Dr’) can run rings around our land and housing officials and would in a democratic system likely be in charge of those portfolios, but instead has been disqualified from the legislature. Eddie Chu is, among other things, an expert on rural affairs and a Persian-speaker. From stodgy old Democratic Party moderates to fringe radicals, they can nearly all put up a decent verbal fight that would put the pro-Beijing dimwits to shame.

(Possible part-explanation: perhaps honest intellectuals have no choice but to question authority. Among the few pro-Beijing types you can imagine reading books are the veteran Tsang brothers, Yok-sing and Tak-sing, whose loyalty to Beijing dates back to anti-colonial activities in the 1960s.)

 

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9 Responses to A lesson from the Ho Hoo-hah

  1. Starry says:

    You say potayto
    I say potarto
    You say Junius
    I say Genius
    Let’s all the whole thing orffffffffffffffffffffffffffff.

  2. LRE says:

    Now that we know Dubious is an actual solicitor in the UK and Singapore, we can work on getting him disbarred in both countries for misconduct vis-à-vis the old incitement to violence and murder and possibly for misrepresentation of himself as a practicing solicitor in both.

    Besides — isn’t soliciting illegal?

  3. FOARP says:

    Holden Chow – I had forgotten him blubbing in the debate. What a putz.

  4. FOARP says:

    Oh, and @LRE, the question is if Junius Ho was ever a Solicitor in England and Wales. Unlike the US where you can get a law degree, pass the state bar, and become a lawyer without ever practising, in England and Wales you have to actually work as a trainee solicitor to become a solicitor and until you’ve finished your traineeship, you’re not a one.

    So what exactly was Ho’s basis for saying he was entitled to practise as a solicitor? Was a law degree? Had he passed the LPC? Neither of these things actually entitles you to practise as a solicitor. You still have to do a trainee contract after them, and nothing I’ve seen says he has.

    Ho is a qualified HK solicitor and theoretically could take QLTS (formerly known as QLTT) to become a dual-admitted English solicitor, but doing this means registering with SRA when you finish (otherwise it’s a waste of time)and we know he has not done this.

    I’m not sure there is any other way he could have become an English solicitor, but perhaps there is something that I haven’t thought of.

    All this is slightly reminiscent of a certain other HK-based person who claimed to be a qualified lawyer (and much else besides) before being exposed, imploding, and leaving for other climes.

  5. Chinese Netizen says:

    @FOARP: You’re not referring to the guy with the endless amount of “honours” after his name and a most bombastic sounding, made up peerage type name?

    Chris Something-or-Other???? But he was mostly Shekou (PRC) based.

  6. Mary Melville says:

    Surely no expose of Legco could be complete without mention of the anomaly of the Labour FC that is pro-establishment. Only in a communist state would its status be considered acceptable.
    Blue collar workers are represented by three uncontested law makers. Their unions claim to have almost half a million members between them but a mere 671 electors hold the power that perpetuates the clout of the pro-employers FC.
    Even the smallest concession to better conditions for workers is buried under the consensus tombstone. The interests of employers and the administration invariably win the day.
    No wonder we have bus drivers working 14-hour days for a pittance with such abysmal representation.
    Will we ever see a charismatic worker challenge the status quo and labour representatives prepared to act for the benefit of the work force?
    Bring on the revolution.

  7. dimuendo says:

    FOARP and all

    Pre 1997 if you were a solicitor in UK, whether E and W or Scotland, a and you had gone through the process there,including articles /traineeship etc, and been formally admitted, it was a fairly simple matter to get yourself admitted in HK. Ditto, if admitted in HK pre 1997 then fairly simple to get your self admitted in E and W (maybe somebody also did it for Scotland but not aware of such).

    All that changed post 97 and I have no idea what is the current situation.

    However, the point is that locally it is a requirement that if you are admitted in an overseas jurisdiction you can state such but must make it plain you are not (currently) practising there, if you do not hold a current practising certificate for that overseas jurisdiction.

    That may be where Mr Ho can be tripped up.

    However, really do not hold your breath waiting for the Law Society to do anything.

    Equally our wonderful impartial Secretary for Injustice will ensure nothing is done by either the police nor his department as to prosecution of a clear incitment to kill.

    PS What has happend to the proceedings against the (now retired) Superintendent of Police who decided to assault with his baton a random by passer, while being filmed?

    As for judicial independence, they are leant on. Not new, but more overt. Plus with people like Wally Yeung at the helm you do not really need anybody to lean.

  8. Din Gao says:

    To Loerd Ashcroft (Chancellor Anglia Ruskin University)

    http://www.lordashcroft.com/contact/

    I have not yet received a response to my earlier contact re the behaviour of Junius Ho, your Anglia Ruskin University honorary doctorate holder:

    Pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho may have committed a criminal offence in calling for the deaths of those who advocate independence, lawyer and Executive Council member Ronny Tong has said.

    At an anti-independence rally on Sunday, rural leader Tsang Shu-wo said that pro-independence activists should be “killed” with Ho shouting “without mercy” in response. Ho later said that it was “not a big deal to kill pigs or dogs.”

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