Junius Ho Behind National Security Education Centre

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho is setting up a National Security Education Centre to foster what he described as "correct and positive" attitudes among young people and propose teaching material to the Education Bureau for a revamped liberal studies curriculum.

The lawmaker said on Wednesday that the centre will promote patriotism and national security legislation to secondary schools through talks and mainland tours. Ten schools have been reached to kick-start the campaign.

The centre also plans to target primary schools in future if they get more money and resources from donation.

"We are the promoter of the national security education. Also [we] foster the correct and positive attitude within the community, especially within the younger generation, so that they will understand what they are expected of this society, at least to be a law-abiding citizen,” Ho said.

The lawmaker also revealed that the centre will play a role in liberal studies by offering recommendations on teaching material to the Education Bureau and the Committee for Safeguarding National Security after seeking advice from legal experts.

“We are not educators in a sense to set the syllabus for any liberal studies or whatsoever. However, we know what we are tasked with according to Article 7 to 10 [under the national security law]," he said.

Under the national security law, the Hong Kong government is to strengthen its work on safeguarding national security and promote national security education in schools and universities and through social organisations, the media, the internet and other means.

Ho said another task for the centre is to promote judicial reform, such as not having judges wear wigs, helping them learn more about China and pushing ahead with plans to set up a sentencing committee.

“[The committee is] to give good guidelines to the magistrate and judiciary, when they deal with particular type of cases, offences or crime… to guide them to have more consistent sentencing, rather than some junctures, for instance just a social service order, which is not commensurate of the crime concern,” he said.

The centre also supports the full enactment of Basic Law Article 23 national security legislation.

Ho pointed out that certain items such as theft of state secrets and prohibiting foreign political organisations or bodies from conducting political activities in Hong Kong have not been fully legislated.

The lawmaker is the founder of a group behind the centre's creation. For now, it's financed by private donation.

The centre will be established in February 2021.