As China proposed to impose new national security
laws on Hong Kong, the threat to country’s freedom of subversion is in imminent
danger.
Hong Kong is famously known as the ‘city of
protest’, where people come down on streets protesting for their rights and
holding government accountable. This was however put to rest in 2003 when an
anti-sedition law known as Article 23 was passed. Since then no government has
dared to lift and go against Beijing.
After last year’s pro-democracy protests in
Hong Kong, Beijing’s patience ran out this week.
National People’s Congress (NPC) in China proposed
to pass a regulation for national security and anti-sedition law on behalf of
the city. This was done bypassing the Hong Kong’s legislature through a constitutional
backdoor, which is rarely used.
This is done in attempt to take the full
control of Hong Kong by Communist Party in China post the last year’s protests
in the territory.
According to the draft released of the legislation,
a legal framework is set up by the China’s parliament to “prevent, stop and
punish any act to split the country, subvert the state power, organize and
carry out terrorist activities and other behaviours that seriously endanger
national security.”
China’s proposal of security law has attracted
condemnation from across the countries and raised the prospect of unrest in the
territory in future.
What does this mean for Hong Kong?
This proposed law which is expected to be passed
by NPC later this month and applied in Hong Kong soon after that, is expected
to have massive impact on the Hong Kong population, from political spheres to
education, international business and social structure of the country.
Hong Kong has always pride and honored itself
of the independent jury and civil liberties, far ahead of what is the status in
mainland China. The practice of arbitrary punishment and secrecy of political
detention common in China is almost unheard of in Hong Kong.
With the implementation of security law in the
country, the basic foundation of justice and legislation in Hong Kong will be
ripped off, giving Beijing a leeway to go for as they fit.
The law implementation would be a nightmare
for Hong Kong courts which operate the opposite of what is practiced in China.
The free press and media in Hong Kong have a survival
fight ahead of them with high chances of extinction.
With the coronavirus restrictions still in
place, the law makers and people of Hong Kong are clueless of the fight ahead,
but definitely a long one.
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