On October 4, 2019, Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam invoked the Emergency Regulations Ordinance for the first time since 1967 to pass a law that bans face masks to be worn during public assemblies. Carrie Lam officially said that the law would restore order and peace in the city, but at the same time, in self contradiction expected escalating violence in the coming weekend when the new anti-mask law came into effect! So, what is actually behind her anti-mask law?
Clearly Carrie Lam has made her cleverest move, rolling out the emergency anti-mask law at the best timing, even knowing its uselessness. Intentions are clear, however. First, the focus of the plot is now the November election of the District Boards involving decisions of huge community spendings, with considerable political and financial interests. Possibly 721 and 831 were not part of the plot, but 104 likely was, as the chronological orders did not explain the vandalisms in repeated police vacuum (as suggested by combinations of footages), and neither the Commissioner nor the Security Chief could offer a satisfactory explanation. However, 104 and the anti-mask law have successfully made the movement score negatively as life of locals is being affected beyond threshold, and this set desirable trends for pro-government camp to reclaim its lost terrain. Her advisors were doing their job now!
For protestors, it's time to stop while there is still a chance to make a change; otherwise the results of November election will repeat the past 20 years' fate if violence and casted violence continue! November election is indeed crucial! Can't we see why Hong Kong is in what it is in now?-- government's disrespect of people's views because of guaranteed number of votes in District Boards and LegCo, and hence the intensified bullying acts that denounced all peaceful protests in the past 10 years. The price to pay has proved too high! Now feedback control is inevitable to prevent overshooting!
Given the timing of invoking the emergency ordinance and the seemingly well anticipated vandalisms and escalating violence, Carrie Lam's strategy is too obvious to hide, which is to try to revert the election trend and protect the majority of pro-government seats so as to score back in at least one of her assigned duties.
Last but not least, to Hongkongers who have lived here for the past 52 years (since 1967), the emergency law is Carrie Lam's very clear warning that Hong Kong can now actually become lawless. In theory, the District Boards election can be cancelled or rescheduled by invoking emergency ordinance; LegCo and District Boards can even be dissolved under emergency ordinance; companies can be ordered to fire employers who make unwelcome remarks in social media under emergency ordinance; police officers can enter private properties without court warrants under emergency ordinance, etc., all in contrary to our conventional belief! The message sent to the public is more important than the anti-mask law itself.
October 8, 2019
