done, judges and others looking at the laws of Hong Kong will
inevitably view those laws for what they are
not
the
expression of the will
will of the democratically elected
representatives of the people of Hong Kong but of other
persons, not all of whom enjoy the authenticity of democratic
election.
Tenthly, and in answer to the economic arguments, it is
suggested that to China, Hong Kong (which looms so large for
its citizens and for us) is of relatively small concern. In
judging issues of democracy and self-determination, the
Government in Beijing would necessarily have its eyes fixed
on Tibet and the other minority peoples living within the
present borders of China. In evaluating respect for human
rights in Hong Kong, the PRC will consider the implications
of the spread of such notions across the length and breadth
of a continental country. In evaluating the rôle of an
independent judiciary as a brake on Executive Government in a
small special region, the perceived needs of the revolution
would have to be judged before this idea was allowed to
flourish. The expression of dissenting viewpoints will
tolerated by the PRC only so far as they present no real
challenge to the Party. It is in these contexts that
resistance to the Final Court of Appeal, a demand to vet its
appointments, an assertion that all laws made before 1997
will be reviewed after that date and that the Bill of Rights
Ordinance specifically would be reviewed 13 cast a dark
pall over the future of Hong Kong and the observance there of
the rule of law.
be
THE REAL POLITIK OF HONG KONG TODAY
The Realpolitik of Hong Kong today can be seen by
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