Political situation
Written by: Lin Jian Qiu Jingwen
2020-10-07 07:00
Last update date: 2020-10-07 07:00
The National Security Law of the Minato Area will come into effect at 11 pm on June 30, 2020, and today (October 7) is the 100th day.
The National Security Law came in response to the turmoil in Hong Kong’s legislative amendments and the rapid changes in the political situation. The law "reigns over the world" for a hundred days. In addition to banning relevant political organizations and figures, it is clear that the government intends to strengthen controls on four sectors, namely the civil service system and education. Industry, media and legislature.
Some actions may not directly stem from the empowerment of the National Security Law, but judging from the overall situation in Hong Kong, they have a very close relationship with the law.
Liu Zhaojia, vice chairman of the National Society for Hong Kong and Macau Studies, analyzed that since the implementation of the National Security Law, it has become an obvious deterrent to external forces lurking in Hong Kong.
As for the next "high-risk" sector, Liu Zhaojia believes that among the four major sectors that have been "regulated", two sectors, namely the education sector and the media, are the targets "most in need of remediation" in Beijing because they involve ideological issues. Shaping is the most fundamental. Therefore, I believe that the targets of the next purge may not come from other sectors. Instead, further actions will be taken against these two sectors, so as to achieve "subject and object exchange", to reverse the situation in the field of public opinion, and turn pro-Beijing voices into leading.
After Nie Dequan took over the Civil Service Bureau, his actions against civil servants increased significantly.
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1. Civil servants-must sign/swear allegiance to the SAR
Civil servants have played a certain role in the turmoil of legislative amendments in the past year. The "New Civil Servants Union" established last year has held many meetings against the government.
Since the legislative turmoil broke out, as of the end of September this year, a total of 46 civil servants have been arrested for participating in illegal public activities. They are currently under police investigation or prosecution, and all have been suspended.
Nie Dequan, known as Chief Executive Carrie Lam's "love general," since he was transferred to the post of Director of the Civil Service Bureau in April this year, his actions against civil servants have increased significantly, and he has frequently sent letters asking civil servants to remain loyal to the government and perform their duties.
Article 6 of the National Security Law of the Port District stipulates: “When a resident of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region participates in elections or assumes public office, it shall sign a document confirming or sworn to uphold the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and be loyal to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.” Nie Dequan in July Said that from July 1st, all newly recruited civil servants must sign documents confirming their support for the Basic Law and allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, while current civil servants will arrange to sign documents or swear allegiance in batches.
Nie Dequan also stated that if a new civil servant refuses to sign the document, he will not be hired.
Some media reported yesterday (6th) that the government has issued a "preview" notice to the four central councils (the first standard salary scale civil service council, the senior civil service council, the police council, and the disciplined services council), with attached A sample statement, including requirements for upholding the Basic Law, loyalty to the Special Administrative Region, loyalty to one's duties and accountability to the SAR government.
The position for signing the declaration must also be filled in with the name, rank, and ID number of the civil servant.
2. The education sector-the first to severely cancel the qualification of "professional unethical" teachers
Articles 9 and 10 of the National Security Law require special zone schools, social organizations, media, and networks to strengthen publicity, guidance, supervision and management, and to carry out national security education through these platforms.
The education sector has an important strategic position, and the democrats in the sector are more powerful and have always been the "nails in the eye" of the pro-establishment camp.
After the National Security Law came into effect, the government has also increased its actions against the education sector.
In an interview with Ta Kung Pao at the end of July, the Secretary for Security Li Jiachao mentioned that most of the education sector is committed to education, but there must be a "bad apple" among them. A few people are professionally unethical. The government has to improve school management and human rights. Start management.
The latest figures from the Education Bureau show that from June last year to August this year, the Education Bureau received 247 complaints about teachers suspected of professional misconduct in social incidents.
The bureau has roughly completed the investigation of 204 cases, of which 73 were unfounded. The bureau has issued reprimands to 21 teachers and written warnings to 12 teachers, and issued written exhortations to 19 teachers and oral verbal instructions to 18 teachers. prompt.
The most "heavy" move was the cancellation of the registration of a teacher of the Kowloon Tong Missionary Primary School in late September, alleging that he had planned to spread the message of "Hong Kong independence".
Carrie Lam also pointed out that this is the first time that the government has cancelled a teacher's professional qualifications on the grounds of professional failure.
3. Media-Ju Li Zhiying, narrow the scope of approved media
On August 10, the National Security Department of the police arrested Li Zhiying, the founder of Next Media, and others on the grounds that they were suspected of violating the National Security Law, and dispatched nearly 200 police officers to search the "Apple Daily" building and dropped the first shock bomb on the media.
On the same day, many media including Radio Hong Kong, Position News, Hong Kong Independent Media, and overseas news agencies including Reuters and Agence France-Presse were denied access to the interview area at the main entrance of the building by the police, causing controversy.
In addition, during the wave of anti-revision demonstrations, the police and the media had quarrels from time to time, and armed law enforcement operations repeatedly affected journalists.
The police accused an unidentified person of claiming to be a reporter and obstructing police work.
On September 22 this year, the police announced that they would amend the definition of "media representative" under the General Police Regulations to recognize only two types of media, including "media organizations registered with the Information Services Department's Press Release System (GNMIS)" and "internationally recognized and Well-known non-local news agencies, newspapers, magazines, radio and television broadcasters".
Currently, there are only about 200 media registered with the Government Information Service, of which pure online media accounts for a minority.
During the anti-revision demonstrations last year, many important scenes were photographed by private or online media and became important evidence.
Therefore, the police's approach has also attracted the attention of the press, questioning whether press freedom has been affected.
Hong Kong and Taiwan's visit to Luo Guancong show off Li Junya, probation period extended
As for Radio Hong Kong as a public broadcaster, it has also been affected a lot.
In June, the Hong Kong and Taiwan Advisory Committee has explicitly requested that Hong Kong and Taiwan produce more positive interpretations of the National Security Law.
At the end of July, RTHK aired a special program, interviewing the former Hong Kong President Luo Guancong who had announced his candidacy for the Legislative Council, but the program was later removed from the shelves.
The Director of Broadcasting, Liang Jiarong, explained that matters involving violations of the National Security Law should be handled carefully. RTHK, as a media and public broadcaster, should not be used as a platform for those involved in violations of the Hong Kong National Security Law to spread relevant claims.
At the end of September, Li Junya, the assistant program director of RTHK, who had repeatedly asked government officials "sharply" questions and asked Chief Executive Carrie Lam to "speak people's words" at a press conference, was told that the probation period would need to be extended for 120 days and was "restarted" "Involved in the investigation of her performance at government press conferences between July and November last year.
In the Legislative Council elections scheduled to be held this year, opposition to the National Security Act became one of the reasons for DQ.
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4. Legislature-Anti-National Security Law or DQ
For the legislature, the National Security Law also increases restrictions on it.
First, Article 22 of the National Security Law stipulates that "seriously interfering with, obstructing, or undermining the performance of the functions of the central government organs of the People's Republic of China or the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government organs in accordance with the law" may be a crime of subverting state power.
The ordinance does not specify what constitutes serious interference and what constitutes an organ of power. However, as the Executive Council member Tang Jiahua said, there are quite a few definitions that have yet to be clarified in court cases.
This may mean that there will be a gray area in whether the democrats will violate the National Security Law in future parliamentary protests such as Rab, and this ambiguity will at least deter the pan-people.
In addition, the National Security Law has also become one of the political red lines for the legislature.
In the Legislative Council election originally scheduled to be held this year, the Returning Officer ruled that the nominations of 12 candidates were invalid. One of the five major reasons was that "in principle, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee opposed the enactment of the Minato National Security Law and its inclusion in the Basic Law. "Annex III will be announced and implemented in Hong Kong."
Liu Zhaojia believes that the education sector and the media are the key targets for further rectification.
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Liu Zhaojia: More administrative, legal, and political measures are expected to rectify the education sector and the media
According to Liu Zhaojia’s analysis, among the above-mentioned four sectors under remediation, the education sector and the media are the parts in Beijing that “needs further remediation” because they involve the shaping of ideology and are the most fundamental: education can affect the thinking of the next generation, and the central government must Strictly prevent students from being instilled in anti-China and chaotic Hong Kong ideas, otherwise one country, two systems will not be able to achieve stability and far-reaching; the media has a profound impact on young people. The government must use the media to make citizens re-recognize one country, two systems, and not allow it to become a platform to encourage young people to participate in illegal activities.
He pointed out that at present, in the education sector and media audiences, the opposition is more and the pro-Beijing takes less. The government must first handle these two sectors and implement "subject and object exchange" to reverse the disadvantages of public opinion.
Specifically, it includes the use of various administrative, legal, political and other means to suppress ideas that are unfavorable to national security and the practice of one country, two systems; and to cooperate with the introduction of national education, national conditions, history, constitution and "Basic Law" education.
As for other sectors considered to be more pro-democratic, such as the medical care sector and the legal sector, they are the consequence of the disadvantaged ideology and can be dealt with later.
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