Proposed security law needed to 'end chaos in HK'

Martin Liao Cheung-kong, convener of the pro-establishment lawmakers in the Legislative Council and a barrister, agrees with other officials that the proposed national security law for Hong Kong was triggered by people in the opposition and radical camps, and said it is entirely necessary to implement such a law given the spate of violent acts and separatist activities in the SAR over the past few years.

Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, said during a webinar on Monday that the central government has been forced by opposition parties and radical separatists in the city to take action.

"I agree the opposition camp is the forger of their own misfortune. If they did not oppose Article 23 legislation, the national security law for the city would be enacted by the Legislative Council in a way Hong Kong residents might be more familiar with," Liao told China Daily in an exclusive interview. "A few years ago, we asked some 'pan-democrats' to accept Article 23 legislation, but they bundled together and opposed it. This shows their political naivety, playing only a zero-sum game and never knowing how to seek middle-of-the-road compromises."

Pursuant to Article 23 of the Basic Law, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall enact a law to prohibit seven offenses in order to protect national security, but the Article 23 legislation has not materialized.

"Legislation on Article 23 is still outstanding after 23 years have passed. On the other hand, Macao enacted the national security law in 2009 within 10 years of the handover. So it is very pressing to have a national security law in Hong Kong." Liao said.

Last month, the National People's Congress passed a decision to enact a national-level law to protect national security for Hong Kong. The proposed national security law will be incorporated into Annex III of the Basic Law for promulgation.

The Hong Kong version of the national security law aims to prohibit secession, subversion, terrorism, and external forces interfering with Hong Kong affairs.

"The legislative process should be as quick as possible to deliver a strong deterrent effect," Liao said.

"Over the past year or two, we have seen an escalation of separatism activities, emergence of the now-banned 'Hong Kong national party', external forces exploiting Hong Kong as a subversive base to wage a 'color revolution' in Hong Kong, as well as the black-clad violent protesters.

"If you look at the 'color revolution' in Ukraine, you will find striking similarities between what happened in Ukraine and in Hong Kong, and those who said the violent protests in Hong Kong were leaderless were only lying," Liao said.

Recently, Tam Yiu-chung, a member of the Standing Committee of the NPC, asserted that those lawmakers and people who take part in elections should be disqualified if they oppose the National Anthem Law and the proposed national security law.

Liao agreed with Tam, "Those people do not deserve to be legislators if they oppose implementation of a national security law in Hong Kong."

Liao noted that all but one opposition lawmaker disappeared when the Legislative Council passed the National Anthem Bill at its third reading last week. He suspected they did not want to leave an official record that they were against the National Anthem Law.

Liao also blasted the Hong Kong Bar Association as ignorant when it said the National People's Congress has no power to enact a national security law in Hong Kong.

"This shows it does not understand the Chinese Constitution and Hong Kong's Basic Law," Liao said. The organization has for long been politicized, but the situation has become even worse in recent years, after Philip Dykes became chairman, he opined.