https://www.wsj.com/articles/democracy-dies-in-the-open-11605136283?mod=opinion_lead_pos3
Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” form of government autonomy died this summer, and the Chinese Communist Party is now moving fast to crush its remnants. Beijing’s latest target is the Legislative Council and its pro-democracy lawmakers.
On Wednesday China’s legislature passed a resolution allowing Hong Kong authorities to remove lawmakers without judicial oversight. Hong Kong authorities quickly booted four pro-democracy legislators, including Dennis Kwok and Alvin Yeung, two brave defenders of an independent judiciary.
Hong Kong’s remaining pro-democracy lawmakers responded by resigning en masse. “Sooner or later we would all have been disqualified,” Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai said. Unconditional allegiance to Beijing is now a requirement for office. At a news conference Wednesday, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said it is disqualifying for lawmakers to oppose the new national security law or to plan on “indiscriminately voting down” Beijing’s legislative agenda. Ms. Lam will go down in history for betraying her city.
The Communist Party long ago rigged LegCo, as the legislature is known, so democrats could never gain a majority. Pro-democracy lawmakers have nonetheless served their constituents by working to prevent or delay some of the worst legislation and appointees. This new resolution completes LegCo’s transformation into a rubber-stamp body. It represents “Beijing’s rule by decree in its ultimate form,” said Claudia Mo, one of the lawmakers who resigned in protest.