People from all walks of life attend a campaign in support of national security legislation for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in Hong Kong, south China, May 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)
It's important that the National People's Congress exercises the necessary powers conferred by the Constitution to fix the legal loopholes in order to protect the national sovereignty and security for both the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, said the Kenyan scholar.
NAIROBI, May 25 (Xinhua) -- "It is urgent and important to end the chaos in Hong Kong through stronger national security legislation," a Kenyan scholar has told Xinhua during a recent interview in Nairobi.
The recent violence in Hong Kong exposed loopholes in its legal system and the lack of effective enforcement mechanisms in maintaining national security there, as well as lack of legal means to effectively control the riots, said Gerishon Ikiara, an economics scholar at the University of Nairobi.
A draft decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security was submitted Friday to the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) of China for deliberation.
Young people hold up China's national flag during a flash mob in Hong Kong, south China, Sept. 17, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Gang)
Ikiara, a former permanent secretary in Kenya's Ministry of Transport and Communication, said it's important that the NPC exercises the necessary powers conferred by the Constitution to fix the legal loopholes in order to protect the national sovereignty and security for both the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.
He said that Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, and the "one country, two systems" principle has been and continues to be an important prerequisite for its long-term prosperity and stability.
However, external support for anti-China riots and engagement in activities that endanger China's national security is likely to pose challenge to the key principle, he noted.
Regarding some Western politicians discrediting and attacking China's decision to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms, the scholar pointed out that "the issue of safeguarding national security legislation is China's internal affairs, and no foreign country has the right to interfere with it."
The interference was partly responsible for last year's violent protests, Ikiara noted.
Photo taken on Nov. 17, 2019 shows the fire set by rioters next to a police vehicle outside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in south China's Hong Kong. (Xinhua)
Stressing that "one country" is the prerequisite and a basis for effective implementation of the "two systems," he said under the umbrella of the Basic Law, a combination of Hong Kong's original system, economic model, and close links with the mainland have strengthened the region's ability to withstand financial crises and major disasters, and its status as an international financial, shipping, and trade center.
Establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms of the HKSAR to safeguard national security will help improve the practice of "one country, two systems," which is crucial for Hong Kong to end the chaos, restore order and make the Pearl of the East shine again.
Tourists visit a scenic spot at Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong, south China, Nov. 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhu Xiang)
Ikiara said he believes that as China continues its deepening of reform and opening up, and its promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative, Hong Kong is expected to have more opportunities to achieve long-term economic and social prosperity. ■
