Disqualification Of Lawmakers 'arbitrary': Academic

Political analyst Ma Ngok said the disqualification of the four pro-democracy legislators has been “very arbitrary” and that it’s now up to Beijing to remove anyone it doesn’t like from Legco.

The authorities on Wednesday announced the disqualification of Dennis Kwok, Alvin Yeung, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung, pointing out that all public officers in Hong Kong – including lawmakers – must support the Basic Law and be loyal to the SAR.

Ma said this is “quite different from past disqualifications” which went through judicial proceedings in Hong Kong.

“This time, it is the NPCSC (National People's Congress Standing Committee) directly handing down directives to disqualify four elected councillors. So, it means that in the future, Beijing can do whatever they want to disqualify elected legislators in Hong Kong,” he told RTHK’s Annemarie Evans.

“Beijing can set whatever red line it can to forbid candidates from running. They can easily set political standards, and those standards can be retroactive,” he added.

“The boundary is very loose and it seems the whole process is very arbitrary.”

He also said opposition lawmakers will have a difficult time “in terms of what kind of political positions they can take” in future elections.

Ma was asked whether Legco will be reduced to a “rubber stamp”, now that it is under total domination by the pro-government camp.

“It’s already a rubber stamp,” he said, noting the government has suppressed dissent not only in the Legco chamber but also on the streets as it cracked down on peaceful protests.