Hong Kong should promote public debate and assembly to restore int’l confidence, ex-official says
Hong Kong Free Press
The Hong Kong government should promote debate in society about the city’s economic transformation, and encourage public assemblies in order to rebuild its international image, a former senior official has said.
Hong Kong has faced international criticism in recent years following the legislation of two security laws – one imposed by Beijing in 2020 after the pro-democracy protests and unrest of 2019 and another passed this March. Authorities said the laws were necessary to restore order and move Hong Kong from “from stability to prosperity.”
In an interview with Ming Pao published on Wednesday, former secretary for transport and housing Anthony Cheung said the government should look for a “critical point” in reversing the negative views some countries had of the city.
Cheung suggested encouraging public assembly, saying: “There is no problem with rallies and assemblies on the surface. If I were the government, I would encourage certain groups to hold assemblies. You have to prove that assemblies can still be held.”
He also suggested the authorities could drop the prosecutions of over 6,000 people arrested during the 2019 protests – but had not yet been charged – if their cases were found to have insufficient evidence.
The move would not be considered granting amnesty, he said, but it would “draw a line” under the protests. Over 10,000 people were arrested in relation to the demonstrations and unrest and about 3,000 of them had been prosecuted as of June, according to official figures.
Protests erupted in June 2019 over a since-axed extradition bill. They escalated into sometimes violent displays of dissent against police behaviour, amid calls for democracy and anger over Beijing’s encroachment. Demonstrators demanded an independent probe into police conduct, amnesty for those arrested and a halt to the characterisation of protests as “riots.”
‘Still encouraged’
Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday – China’s 75th National Day – said Hong Kong “is at a critical period of economic transformation,” adding the city must consolidate its status as an international financial hub and “actively explore new areas of development.”
Cheung said authorities should engage society by initiating a debate over the direction of the economic transformation in a bid to foster consensus.
“It is a good thing if the society can feel that public discussion is still encouraged, instead of feeling that the government has its say over everything,” he said.
Hong Kong should not give up its connections with the US and Europe as it seeks to engage emerging markets, he added.
Cheung also said the Hong Kong government had been “anxious” over safeguarding national security due to a tense geopolitical environment, in which Beijing was subject to constant international pressure, especially from the US.
Rebuttals
Regarding government officials rebutting reports or op-eds published in local and overseas media, Cheung said public officers should have be skilled in responding to criticism.
“It’s a low level [of response] to just say: ‘you have misspoken, you are wrong,’” he said.
Cheung’s remark came after security chief Chris Tang wrote to Ming Pao on Monday to rebut an opinion piece written by ex-lawmaker Margaret Ng over the jailing of Stand News editor Chung Pui-kuen. Last week, the government criticised a report on academic freedom co-authored by Human Rights Watch as “fabricated,” but did not specify what was inaccurate.
Tang had been leading a special “response and rebuttal team” which targets what authorities called “misinformation and slander” against government policies, including against the new Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, since January.
Cheung said media were entitled to respond to officials if they felt the government’s criticism was unreasonable.
Separate to the 2020 Beijing-enacted security law, the homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, sedition, theft of state secrets and espionage. It allows for pre-charge detention of to up to 16 days, and suspects’ access to lawyers may be restricted, with penalties involving up to life in prison. Article 23 was shelved in 2003 amid mass protests, remaining taboo for years. But, on March 23, 2024, it was enacted having been fast-tracked and unanimously approved at the city’s opposition-free legislature.
The law has been criticised by rights NGOs, Western states and the UN as vague, broad and “regressive.” Authorities, however, cited perceived foreign interference and a constitutional duty to “close loopholes” after the 2019 protests and unrest.
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