SECOND TAKE
THE GUARDIAN: Yearning for democracy lives on in Hong Kong
Why has Beijing muzzled an already toothless creature? Not because it fears its bite, but to ensure others fear China’s power. Though Hong Kong’s legislative council offered the region a taste of democracy, its powers have always been extremely limited. The body is dominated by pro-Beijing members, thanks to a carefully structured system for choosing legislators, with half directly elected by ordinary residents. In recent years pro-democracy politicians have been disqualified from running, or removed from the body after winning office.
That used to require judicial proceedings. Now it needs Beijing’s say-so. On Wednesday, minutes after China passed a law allowing the removal of “unpatriotic” legislators, the region’s government disqualified four pro-democracy members. The rest of their caucus resigned en masse. This year’s imposition of the draconian national security law had sounded the death knell for Hong Kong’s autonomy. Now, the authorities no longer want even the facad...
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