Activists decry disqualification from elections
HONG KONG: Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong said yesterday the reasons for disqualifying him from running in elections for the legislature were ‘‘invalid and ridiculous’’.
Late on Thursday, Hong Kong disqualified a dozen prodemocracy candidates from running in the September elections, citing reasons including collusion with foreign forces and opposition to the new Chinaimposed national security laws.
Those disqualified included Wong, some members of the Civic Party, a moderate opposition group, and others who won an unofficial ‘‘primary’’ vote held by the opposition camp this month.
There could be more disqualifications, the Government said.
‘‘Clearly, #Beijing shows a total disregard for the will of the #Hongkongers, tramples upon the city’s last pillar of vanishing autonomy and attempts to keep #HK’s legislature under its firm grip,’’ Wong tweeted.
It was the most sweeping move on the city’s electoral freedoms seen yet, targeting even moderate democrats.
Critics said it sought to curb the ascendancy of a young, more defiant generation of democrats after an overwhelming win in last year’s district council elections. Hong Kong’s last British governor, Chris Patten, called it an ‘‘outrageous political purge’’.
Hong Kong has disqualified candidates before, but not on this scale; the disqualification of Civic Party candidates signals Beijing is becoming less tolerant of even moderate democrats, who have long been a vocal opposition in the legislature.
‘‘The Government is constructing a CCP [Chinese Communist Party] assembly in Legco [the legislature] to eliminate most of the opposition voices,’’ Nathan Law, a former lawmaker who was kicked out of the legislature, tweeted.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam was expected last night to announce a postponement of the election, amid a spike in coronavirus cases. — Reuters