It seems quite a few sitting members are dropping out of the forthcoming LegCo election. Such a large number doesn’t look like a coincidence, and the word is that the authorities have told them to quit. They include those in or approaching their 70s, including veterans like Michael Tien, Tommy Cheung, Jeffrey Lam, Andrew Leung and Chan Kin-por. Even Regina Ip, who heads her own little party in her tireless attempts to stay relevant as the new Nat-Sec order consolidates, is going to make an announcement ‘in due course’. Also, supposed independent Tik Chi-yuen. RTHK story…
Lam, who announced his decision on Sunday, said there was no need to focus on age when asked about speculation that an age limit of 70 is in the air for legislators.
“There are many different groups in Hong Kong. No one is talking about this,” he said.
Transit Jam has some thoughts…
The retirements highlight the issue with these “elections”: only rubber-stamped individuals can even think about standing as a candidate. When someone like Regina Ip is rumoured for the chop, we know something serious is going on: and for those chopped, going against the “whispered instructions over tea” would be futile.
As I personally found in the relatively humble DC elections, you need a complex set of approvals to become a candidate for even a small local election, and LegCo’s system is designed as an impenetrable firewall.
If you like byzantine/dystopian/Kafkaesque rules – read his full post. Essentially, only candidates ‘rubber-stamped by Beijing’ get on the ballot. His conclusion is that…
…this LegCo cohort will be for keeps and only death or severe disgrace will alter the membership between now and 2047.
(When Hong Kong’s official status as a special administrative region could in theory come to an end).
Another way of putting it: the authorities are taking the opportunity to shed some members who could perhaps be more effusive in their support for the government, and of course to send a message to those that remain.
In particular, the next LegCo will be cleansed of its legacy colonial-era elders – notably Liberal Party tycoons. Once upon a time, these people were loyal to the Brits. Then they became ‘instant noodle’ patriots. They were always privileged rent-seekers contemptuous of the rabble, but they were also at ease in an environment of pluralism, a free press and independent courts. They (not the pro-democracy activists) were the first to really panic in early 2019 at the idea of extradition from Hong Kong to the Mainland. Beijing has no further need of them. The next ‘all-patriot’ LegCo will also be all-trustworthy.
Will it make any difference to you or me? The number of LegCo members we can name will drop to single digits. Otherwise, no.
One wonders why The Party likes to go on with rituals like LegCo meetings, or NatSec trails, or public consulations.
Is there any point in having an opinion or making a comment about Legco?
Workers were installing railings a foot from the edge of the pavement. Asked why a foot. Answer , told by the government. Who? Highways department.
If somebody wrote to Highways Department asking why railings are installed a foot in from the edge of the pavement, is that “soft resistence” (or worse)?
Used and abused. They willingly served the purpose of rubberstamping all measures to eliminate civic society. That achieved they are dumped to faciliate the promotion of programmed robots.
We will be spared their shameful posturing in the coming anonymous line up. Good riddance