Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers resign after ouster of their colleagues

Hong Kong

THE entirety of Hong Kong's elected pro-democracy opposition announced its resignation on Wednesday in protest over the expulsion of four lawmakers.

The dramatic move comes after Beijing passed a resolution giving local authorities broad new powers to quash dissent, likely signalling the end of political opposition in the city.

The lawmakers in Hong Kong's legislature had earlier said that they would resign en masse after Beijing forced the ouster of four of their colleagues, a dramatic act of protest that will leave the political opposition without a voice in one of the city's last major forums for dissent.

The departures will reshape the city's political landscape, which has been upended since China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong this summer. With the imprimatur of Beijing, the authorities have arrested pro-democracy leaders and activists as they resolved to bring Hong Kong to heel and put an end to the protests that engulfed the semi-autonomous Chinese territory for much of last year.

The four lawmakers who were removed from office - Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki, Kenneth Leung and Alvin Yeung - had previously been barred from running for reelection this year. Hours after their removal, the remaining 15 members of their camp said they were stepping down. "Together we stand!" lawmakers in the pro-democracy camp chanted as they held hands in a conference room in the Legislative Council building. One of the legislators, Wu Chi-wai, had earlier told reporters that they would tender their resignations in protest on Thursday.

"Many people will consider today a dark day. It is hard for me to say it isn't," said Mr Kwok Ka-ki, one of the four lawmakers who was removed. "As long as our resolve to fight for freedom, equality and justice remains unchanged, one day we will see the return of the core values we cherish."

Hong Kong's Beijing-backed government appeared to welcome the resignations, which will give it a much freer rein to carry out its policies. The legislature has been one of the main scenes for opposition to the government, after street demonstrations have been largely shut down by social distancing requirements and increasingly aggressive police tactics.

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's chief executive, said the legislative body would continue functioning regardless of whether the pro-democracy lawmakers were present. She dismissed suggestions that the disqualifications would tarnish the legislature if it pushed through pro-government policies. "Of course we want the Legislative Council to pass the bills that we propose. We feel all the more excited when they can be passed in an efficient manner," she said. "As the executive branch, we work in the hopes that the council will support and pass our bills."

Along with the national security law, the new powers represent the rapid expansion of Beijing's influence over the territory. The Hong Kong government will now have the ability to remove lawmakers directly for failure to meet loyalty requirements, without going through the courts.

The decision on Wednesday by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, said that lawmakers who support Hong Kong independence, refuse to recognise the country's sovereignty over the city, seek out foreign or external forces to interfere with domestic affairs, or engage in acts that endanger national security would face immediate disqualification. Lawmakers who fail to meet the statutory requirements for upholding the Basic Law, Hong Kong's local constitution, and swearing "allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China" would also be ousted, it added.

The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong, Beijing's top emissary in the city, said the rules would ensure that politicians "fulfil their constitutional responsibility of loyalty to the country".

Hong Kong's legislature has always been stacked against the opposition. Half of its 70 members come from functional constituencies that generally represent sectors of the economy and select pro-establishment representatives. But the pro-democracy camp has usually made up a sizable minority, particularly in the seats directly elected by the public. BLOOMBERG, NYTIMES