So-called referendum deceptive and dangerous

It should also be noted that a referendum will have no legal impact or significance in Hong Kong. It appears to me that it is seditious to mislead the public to believe that civil nomination is a viable option - particularly if a lot of people participate in the unconstitutional referendum.

Some slogans from the referendum are also seditious. One of these was reproduced on the cover of Next Magazine. The magazine makes no attempt to conceal that the purpose of the referendum is "Voting against the Communists". This breaches the very essence of the One Country, Two Systems principle. The former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping clearly explained to the drafters of the Basic Law on April 16, 1987 that Hong Kong must never become a place for subversive activities against the mainland's political system.

A recent special edition of Eastweek reported that Jimmy Lai, owner of Next Media and Apple Daily, met Paul Wolfowitz, former US deputy secretary of defense in the George W. Bush administration. The pair talked on Lai's private yacht for five hours on May 27. It is rather peculiar that a Hong Kong businessman is a friend of a former US official who was one of the architects of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Eastweek also alleges that the National Endowment for Democracy, controlled by the CIA, has been offering funds to organizations in Hong Kong. It is very disturbing that Wolfowitz - a strong believer in containing the rise of China - should be in Hong Kong discussing the referendum and the Occupy Central campaign.

This clearly demonstrates that the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is more than justified in saying it opposes foreign forces interfering in Hong Kong's affairs.

Hong Kong is poised to enter a period of social and economic turmoil because of the Occupy Central campaign. So it is very important we support the central government and SAR government in taking a firmer stand against the people and groups planning to cause unrest in Hong Kong.

The author is a vetern HK commentator and professor at the Research Center of Hong Kong and Macao Basic Law, Shenzhen University.

(China Daily 06/25/2014 page8)