Three lawmakers who support the notion of self-determination for Hong Kong’s future, including Eddie Chu, Demosisto’s Nathan Law and localist Lau Siu-lai, have said they will not give up on their ideals, in light of Beijing’s ruling on the oath-taking controversy.
Li Fei, chair of Beijing’s Basic Law Committee, said on Monday that the notion of national self-determination is “essentially” equal to Hong Kong independence. Though the three support a different kind of approach, some members of the pro-Beijing camp on Monday requested that Law and Lau’s oaths be invalidated.
Democratically-elected Youngspiration lawmakers Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching already face being ejected from the legislature following Beijing’s ruling.
Chu warned that in the eyes of Beijing, all pro-democracy advocates would eventually be seen as independence advocates. He said all pro-democracy lawmakers should turn to supporting self-determination in order to gather a larger force.
See also: Hong Kong gov’t to ‘fully implement’ Beijing’s ruling on oath-taking row, says Chief Exec. CY Leung
“Without a Basic Law reformed by the people through democratic means, Hong Kong will not have real rule of law – self-determination is to fight for real democracy and rule of law,” he said.
Law said the power given by the interpretation to the LegCo secretary-general can be easily abused, as it forced the clerk to make a subjective and political judgment.
“It may be insincere to talk about Hong Kong independence today, tomorrow it may be insincere to talk about self-determination. In the future, it may be insincere to talk about the ratification of June 4 and ending of one-party rule,” he said, adding that all statements made in one’s entire life may be under scrutiny.
Lau said her LegCo seat was unimportant, but she hoped Hongkongers would be concerned about whether the Legislative Council still possess its autonomy, and the spectre of long-term thought control imposed by Beijing.
She also said she hoped the judiciary would stay independent and possess the spirit of common law, as the interpretation affects the legal challenge the Chief Executive lodged against the Youngspiration duo.
