Letters | After Hong Kong’s national security law was passed, contempt has become a one-way street

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Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng, Chief Executive Carrie Lam and Secretary for Security John Lee attend a press conference on the national security law on July 1. Photo: Robert Ng

Published: 6:35am, 21 Sep 2020Updated: 6:35am, 21 Sep 2020

Mike Rowse makes some very good points in his column “Reaction to Hong Kong’s mass coronavirus testing reveals city’s Pavlovian politics” (September 7). Both sides are indeed to blame. Mutual suspicion and contempt define our zeitgeist.

Alas, the national security law protects only government ministers when it comes to showing contempt for others – anyone similarly wishing to show contempt for a government minister could now be committing the offence of sedition. The government’s dismissal of and contempt for the opinions of professionals and other informed citizens when they don’t fit its political narrative will continue unless ministers show some restraint – but two examples from the last few days show how unlikely that will be.

Firstly, Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah’s description of others’ understanding of the Basic Law as “pathetic” (“Why separation of powers has no place in Hong Kong”, September 9) shows an unprecedented level of contempt for the opinions of her peers in the legal profession and anyone else with an educated and informed view. I’m an actuary – under my profession’s code of conduct, such grotesque, public abuse of the opinions of my fellow actuaries would be a disciplinary offence. One wonders if it would similarly be the case under the code of conduct of her profession.

It is also relevant to ask whether the national security law would now prohibit anyone from making a complaint about her behaviour to her professional body – it will certainly make anyone thinking of doing so think twice.

03:03

Hong Kong publishers resort to self-censorship under new security law

Secondly, and topping off the ongoing constitutional debate nicely, lawmaker Regina Ip suggested in a radio programme that the United States does not really have separation of powers.