Lawmaker Tse adds Facebook disclaimer
An outspoken lawmaker has added a disclaimer to his Facebook account declaring that his “criticisms” were meant to improve government policies and not create hatred, becoming the first politician to do so following the enactment of the city’s domestic national security law.
Paul Tse Wai-chun, who earlier shut his account before reactivating it, told the Post yesterday he added the disclaimer as a “precaution” and out of “prudence” in light of the new Safeguarding National Security Ordinance enacted last month, which made the “net” wider now.
“As a lawyer, I will also advise my clients to exercise precaution over the new law, and so I do the same for my own Facebook page,” he said.
In a post on Saturday, Tse said the content on his Facebook page was for record-keeping only.
“All criticisms are intended to raise questions and suggestions for improvement, or to advocate for the central and local governments’ policymaking through legal channels,” he wrote.
“It is absolutely not my intention to create any hatred, contempt or betrayal of the national system, institutions, or the constitutional order, administrative, legislative or judicial organs of the SAR,” he said referring to the city’s formal title of Special Administrative Region.
Tse also disabled the function for people to leave comments.
The legislation, mandated by Article 23 of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, introduced five new types of offences: treason; insurrection, incitement to mutiny and disaffection, and acts with seditious intention; theft of state secrets and espionage; sabotage endangering national security; and external interference.
The new offence related to acts with seditious intention covers those invoking hatred, contempt, disaffection against China’s fundamental system, the central government, and the city’s executive, legislative and judicial authorities.
Asked whether he feared his move would embarrass the government, Tse said authorities should look into the issue the other way round.
“The government also encourages people to obey the law. It should not view [the move] with a negative attitude that it might create embarrassment but that everyone should be cautious with the new law,” he argued.
Tse engaged in a rare fiery exchange with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu during a question and answer session in the legislature in January after the lawmaker said Hongkongers were depressed under the city’s “legalist rule”.
Justice minister Paul Lam Ting-kwok has told the Post that he was “very puzzled” over Tse’s move to shut down his Facebook page earlier and stressed that it was “unnecessary”.