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Why chanting popular slogan ‘Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times’ could sink chances of district council election hopefuls

South China Morning Post

發布於 2019年10月15日04:10 • Jeffie Lam jeffie.lam@scmp.com
  • Dominant rallying cry of the protest movement was used by independence activist Edward Leung during his 2016 election campaign
  • District council hopefuls questioned on the slogan by returning officers include Sha Tin district councillor Billy Chan
The slogan ‘Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our time’ can be found spray-painted all over Hong Kong. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
The slogan ‘Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our time’ can be found spray-painted all over Hong Kong. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

District Council hopefuls who chant "Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times" might be risking disqualification from upcoming elections as the government is seeking clarification on what the most commonly heard rallying cry of the ongoing protests means to them.

Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong Chi-fung, who plans to run for election in Southern district, revealed on his Facebook page on Monday night that he received a letter from the returning officer asking whether he represented his party Demosisto and whether he agreed with it advocating that "self-determination" included the option of Hong Kong independence.

Other hopefuls questioned on the protest slogan included Sha Tin district councillor Billy Chan Shiu-yeung, who is seeking re-election on November 24.

Joshua Wong has been asked some questions by a returning officer. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Joshua Wong has been asked some questions by a returning officer. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Chan, of the group Community Sha Tin, revealed on Monday he got a letter from the returning officer, who said his explanation would determine whether his nomination would be validated.

Authorities have barred a number of candidates from taking part in Legislative Council elections since 2016 on the grounds that their political stance of pursuing independence or self-determination went against the city's mini-constitution, the Basic Law.

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In 2018, Wong's party colleague Agnes Chow Ting was barred from running in a Legco by-election on the grounds that Demosisto advocated self-determination. Last month, a Hong Kong court overturned the election ban on Chow as the returning officer had failed to offer her an opportunity to respond.

No district council candidates had so far been disqualified for their political stance.

"I am seeking legal advice on that," said Chan, who refused to comment further.

Agnes Chow was barred from running for election, a decision the court overturned. Photo: David Wong
Agnes Chow was barred from running for election, a decision the court overturned. Photo: David Wong

Citing the District Councils Ordinance, returning officer Amy Chan Yuen-man wrote in a letter that a person would only be validly nominated as a candidate after declaring in a form that he or she would uphold the Basic Law and pledge allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Noting Billy Chan had already signed the relevant declaration, the returning officer demanded he explain what he meant by "Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times" in a Facebook post on September 6.

"I will decide whether to validate your nomination after considering your nomination form, your reply to the inquiry and all the other relevant information," she wrote, demanding an answer by Tuesday evening.

In the Facebook post, Billy Chan shared a poster promoting a joint school human chain on September 9 which featured the rallying cry. He did not mention the slogan in his post, saying only: "I could not make it today as I have not recovered yet. See you next Monday, fellow alumni and students!"

Billy Chan got a letter from a returning officer. Photo: Edward Wong
Billy Chan got a letter from a returning officer. Photo: Edward Wong

Fleco Mo Kai-hong, eyeing a seat on Yuen Long District Council, said on Facebook he had received a similar letter from a returning officer and accused the authorities of imposing political screening.

Legal academic Eric Cheung Tat-ming, of the University of Hong Kong, said the slogan was open to wide interpretation.

"I do not think there is sufficient legal basis for the returning officer to ban anyone from running as long as they say it does not refer to independence," Cheung said.

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"But I hope the government will stop taking away voters' election rights and allow us to pick our own choices. It should not conduct any political screening."

Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip Tak-kuen refused to comment on whether chanting the slogan risked disqualification when asked on Saturday, saying it was a matter for returning officers to handle.

Edward Leung used the slogan for his election campaign in 2016. Photo: Sam Tsang
Edward Leung used the slogan for his election campaign in 2016. Photo: Sam Tsang

Pro-independence activist Edward Leung Tin-kei, now serving a six-year jail term over his role in the 2016 Mong Kok riot, used "Liberate Hong Kong; revolution of our times" as his election slogan that year.

It has become the dominant rallying cry during the months-long unrest, which slowly morphed from protests against the now-withdrawn extradition bill to a wider movement against the government and police. Use of the slogan, which is spray-painted across the city, has touched a nerve with the authorities.

Protesters who use the slogan are calling for a revolution to liberate Hong Kong, leader Carrie Lam says. Photo: Winson Wong
Protesters who use the slogan are calling for a revolution to liberate Hong Kong, leader Carrie Lam says. Photo: Winson Wong

In August, leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor mentioned it in a press conference, saying protesters were calling for a revolution to liberate Hong Kong, which would "challenge national sovereignty, threaten 'one country, two systems', and destroy the city's prosperity and stability".

The Democratic Party, the largest in the pan-democratic bloc, said none of its 99 candidates had received further questions from returning officers as of Monday. It also said 39 members have had their candidacy confirmed.

Billy Chan is running against Ha Kim-kwan of the New People's Party in Sha Kok constituency. Mo is contesting the Wang Yat constituency with Yiu Kwok-wai and Cho Kin-for.

Copyright (c) 2019. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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