HONG KONG – Dozens of local community politicians in Hong Kong swore a newly required loyalty oath to China today after hundreds of their colleagues quit in protest as authorities try to purge the city of “unpatriotic” elements.
District councillors are the only people Hong Kongers can fully elect with universal suffrage.
They deal with bread-and-butter local issues like bus routes, trash collection and playgrounds. But they have also become a symbol of residents’ urge for a greater say in how their city is run.
In late 2019, towards the end of months of huge democracy protests, opposition candidates critical of China’s rule won a landslide, hammering pro-government candidates.
China has since responded with a crackdown on dissent as well as an overhaul of the city’s political system that reduces the number of directly elected officials and vets politicians for their perceived patriotism.
Today, the first 24 councillors took the oath in a closed-door ceremony, according to the government.
Similar oath swearing ceremonies have been held for other sectors, including civil servants, government officials and lawmakers.
However, those who swear allegiance can still be disqualified.
Under the new rules imposed by Beijing earlier this year, a national security committee can disqualify anyone deemed an “anti-China” element or disloyal.
“If we have doubts on certain councillors’ oath-taking and cannot completely trust their pledged loyalty and allegiance, we will give them a chance to explain... If their oaths are invalid in the end, they will be disqualified,” chief executive Carrie Lam said earlier this week.
Some 180 district councillors are expected to take oaths in the coming weeks and those who refuse to attend will lose their seats.
However, a majority of the elected district councillors have simply quit rather than adhere to the vetting process.
So far, a total of 260 – more than half of the 452 elected members have resigned.
“It (oath-taking) has become the regime’s tool to keep you on a leash,” said former district councillor Debbie Chan, who resigned in July.
“They want to eliminate the pro-democracy camp in Hong Kong.”
Since the 2019 protests, China has imposed a national security law that has criminalised much dissent and began remoulding Hong Kong in its own authoritarian image.
Several district councillors have been charged with national security crimes. Many others have fled overseas. – AFP, September 10, 2021
