Confused by Hong Kong politics? Here’s all you need to know, right down to the basics explaining the quirks of the Hong Kong political system to often perplexed onlookers

Confused by Hong Kong politics? Here’s all you need to know, right down to the basics explaining the quirks of the Hong Kong political system to often perplexed onlookers

I am often struck by how well-informed Hongkongers are about stuff happening elsewhere. After the referendums on Scottish independence and Brexit, for example, many here seem to have more of a grasp on Britain’s complex constitutional affairs than large swathes of the people who voted.

The complexity of Hong Kong’s own affairs is of a different order, however. For a city so inhabited and visited by foreigners, it seems to me that its political situation is not well-understood by onlookers and harder to grasp than most.

No doubt this is partly due to a lack of curiosity, and partly because international media takes only superficial notice. It’s also because politics here is a conversation that tends to defy the outsider points of access.

Here, then, ahead of next month’s Legislative Council election, is my stab at a 10-point guide to Hong Kong politics for the ingenue and the bystander – and the hordes on social media baffled as to why the city has its own Olympic team.

1. Everything in Hong Kong revolves around the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution. Whenever any action is proposed, someone will protest that it is against the Basic Law.

2. The Basic Law is much cherished. Disagreement is rife, though, as to what large chunks of it mean, and, more importantly, who gets to decide. Lawyers argue as to whether its legitimacy derives from the Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong, of 1984, or from the National People’s Congress. The smart money will always be on the NPC making its own mind up. The internet tells me that, these days, the word “basic” can mean “thoughtless and vapid”.

3. A number of rights and freedoms are protected under the Basic Law, in keeping with the principle of “one country, two systems”. The two systems it refers to are i) cadre capitalism in mainland China, and ii) crony capitalism in Hong Kong.

4. Article 45 of the Basic Law enshrines the “ultimate aim” of having the city’s chief executive elected via universal suffrage. There has been something of a hold-up with this. Last year, lawmakers sank proposals that would have allowed Beijing to prescreen candidates, reasoning this would be against the Basic Law. The proposals’ sponsors argued, meanwhile, that the breach would be in allowing candidates who opposed the central government to stand.

 

Pan-democrats gather for a photo-op at the Legco chamber after the electoral reform package, including a proposal for the pre-screening of chief executive candidates, was rejected following a walkout by pro-Beijing lawmakers, on June 18, 2015. Photo: Dickson Lee

5. There are political parties of the left and right in Hong Kong, liberals and conservatives. These distinctions pale, however, against where they each stand on the issue of what to do with the Basic Law.

6. Whenever Hongkongers have time to do anything, they form a new political party. The result is more parties than anyone can count, far less remember the names of. There are currently 16 parties represented in the Legislative Council, alongside 10 independent lawmakers. In the upcoming election, at least three dozen parties have put candidates forward.

7. The largest single party in Legco since 2004, The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, does everything it can to block democratic reform. The Liberal Party is not liberal on social issues and also opposes democracy. It is in accord with the pan-democrat parties, however, in seeking to defenestrate Leung Chun-ying, the city’s current chief executive. The pan-democrat camp tends to splinter every so often, like a Roman candle.

Whenever Hongkongers have time to do anything, they form a new political party

8. The last few months have seen the pace of party formation accelerate, primarily under the banner of “localism” – a reaction, in large part, to the stalled delivery of democratic reforms. Polls suggest more and more Hongkongers view themselves solely as Hongkongers, and not as citizens of China.

9. Most localist groups adopt an openly hostile stance towards the central government. The most radical call is for full independence for Hong Kong, with some suggesting a period of transition involving return to British rule. It is unclear as to whether Britain has been party to discussions. The English names of localist parties – Demosisto and Youngspiration, for example – often sound like 1980s pop groups.

10. Controversially, six intended localist candidates have been disqualified from running for election, while localist organisations have had difficulty registering as companies. According to the Electoral Affairs Commission, arguing in favour of full autonomy for Hong Kong runs counter to the Basic Law.

All perfectly clear, now? As I thought...

 

By Kenny Hodkart