Subversion? Or, it’s just blatant suppression.
As Professor Benny Tai has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment while the prison sentences of the other 44 former politicians and prominent pro-democracy activists convicted of “conspiracy to commit subversion” ranged from 4 years and 2 months to 7 years and 9 months, the notorious “Hong Kong 47” case seems to come to an end for the moment.
As one of the over 600,000 ordinary Hong Kong citizens who joined the long queues to cast our votes in the pro-democracy primary election in 2020, I still vividly remember some details of that particular day. The National Security Law (NSL) forcibly imposed by the Communist Chinese regime on Hong Kong has literally impacted our lives. Some of us chose to leave Hong Kong for various reasons while some chose to remain in Hong Kong. However, no matter how the Hong Kong government and the judges of this case try to justify the arrests and the heavy sentences on our friends, I think many of us are still very puzzled. Organizing and participating in a primary election can be considered “subversion”? How? Then, would casting a vote in the primary election be an offence then? Does it mean that the over 600,000 of us who voted at the primary election were also “criminals”? How can that be acceptable in any democracies? How can we who live in democratic societies stay silent about such ridiculous situation?
“National security” is such a broad and arbitrary concept and now a powerful weapon used by the Hong Kong government uses to silence all in the city. It’s frustrating to see that it’s so obvious but the Hong Kong government can continue to impose further restrictions and suppression on the freedom of expression in Hong Kong without much, if any, consequences. There are some noises, criticisms and some insignificant sanctions against Hong Kong and Chinese officials, such as visa sanctions. But the officials apparently haven’t felt any impact at all.
We, all of us, have no choice but should simply speak up and criticize what’s happening in Hong Kong and China. It’s definitely not just about the people in Hong Kong but it’s about how we can accept tyranny. I never believe that only powerful politicians can help but we, every one of us, should talk to our friends, family and many others around us about why we should be concerned about what’s happening. Turning a blind eye or staying silent wouldn’t mean that such issues have nothing to do with us. If we are lenient to tyranny, all of us, the whole world, will be in trouble.
