Exclusive | Pro-Beijing heavyweight defends Hong Kong national security law, electoral overhaul as moderate steps

In wide-ranging interview, local National People’s Congress Standing Committee delegate Tam Yiu-chung says opposition only has itself to blame for the electoral shake-up

‘No one has said that the Communist Party wants you to flatter it and love it, it just needs you to abide by the law,” the 72-year-old says

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National People’s Congress Standing Committee member Tam Yiu-chung has defended the national security law and Beijing’s planned overhaul of the city’s elections. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Published: 10:00am, 26 Mar 2021Updated: 2:56pm, 26 Mar 2021

Beijing’s imposition of the national security law and its overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system are restrained measures that will not eliminate the city’s unique strengths or its opposition voices, according to a pro-establishment heavyweight.

In an interview with the Post, Tam Yiu-chung – Hong Kong’s sole delegate to China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee – also said the opposition had to obey the law if it wished to stay relevant in the city’s politics.

He went on to suggest that pan-democrats had only themselves to blame for the electoral shake-up – which is expected to vastly reduce the camp’s influence – accusing them of challenging Beijing’s bottom line after the security law was imposed.

“When there is a law, we all need to obey it. No one has said that the Communist Party wants you to flatter it and love it, it just needs you to abide by the law,” the 72-year-old said.

Tam served as a member of Hong Kong’s legislature for about 30 years before being elected by China’s legislature as a NPC Standing Committee member in 2018.

Following 2019’s social unrest and a landslide opposition victory in district council polls that same year, the standing committee imposed its security law last June, criminalising in broad terms any acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with external elements. Next week, it is also expected to finalise the details of a drastic overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system to make sure that power in the city rests firmly in the hands of “patriots”.

NPC delegates applaud the passage of a resolution to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system earlier this month. Photo: AP

Both the security law and the electoral reforms have been strongly criticised by the opposition camp, Western governments and political analysts, who see the moves as chipping away at the space for democratic debate in Hong Kong.