Flashed back to early 2021, a Beijing academic known for his regular comment on Hong Kong issues whipped up a storm when he lambasted what he called “loyal rubbish” in the city’s pro-establishment force. Tian Feilong is an associate professor with the Law School of Beihang University. He did not name names.

Capable patriots, not loyal rubbish

In an article published in the Chinese-language Ming Pao, he argued the Central Government needs “capable patriots, not loyal rubbish.” Headline of the article read “Patriots ruling Hong Kong: The birth of Hong Kong democracy”. Tian criticised some pro-establishment people for doing nothing while sitting on their posts.

Tian targeted the local patriotic force after Beijing moved to revamp the Legislative Council’s electoral system to “fully implement” the policy of “patriots ruling Hong Kong.”

Under the revamped system, a new candidate vetting mechanism was installed and a set of stricter nomination requirements imposed. Not surprisingly, no candidates from the pan-democratic camp had succeeded in getting the nomination tickets to enter the 2021 Legco election and the 2023 District Council election respectively.

Even before the new era of “patriots ruling Hong Kong” began, there had been no lack of reminders from within the loyalists’ camp for them to show their capability to make Hong Kong a better place with the democrats no longer in the game.

Aside from Tian, founding chairman of the pro-Beijing flagship Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, Tsang Yok-sing had urged the pro-Beijing camp to deliver results.

Tian’s veiled attack drew a strong rebuttal from a DAB heavyweight Ip Kwok-him, dismissing Tian as “rubbish academic”.

Doing nothing with the role as a legislator

Almost four years after “patriots” took the stage and the reminders were given, the good shows Tsang and the central authorities had hoped for were nowhere to be seen.

The opposite is true. The deeds and words of some patriots have turned out to be a regular target of ridicule from the pro-democracy populace and an unwanted source of embarrassment to the pro-establishment camp.

One of them, who was the subject of ridicule on social media last week, was Joephy Chan Wing-yan, a 34-year-old legislator from the pro-Beijing Federation of Trade Unions (FTU), the largest trade union in the city.

Chan, known for her obsessive attack against democracy supporters, or in her words “little yellow （a colour that stands for democracy in Hong Kong）people”, fired salvos against a former district councilor from the now-disbanded Civic Party, Andy Yu Tak-po, for his role in helping some Hong Kong residents who were reportedly being held in a “scam farm” in Myanmar.

Yu, a third-tier young political aspirant, quit politics as the seismic changes brought about by the national security law surfaced one after another.

He was back in the limelight last week when he came out to help a group of families whose loved ones were said to be detained in the notorious, secretive “scam farm” in Myanmar.

They pleaded for rescue action by the Hong Kong and Thai governments for an early return of their family members following the success of the central government and the Thai authorities in securing the fleeing of Wang Xing, a mainland actor, from the Myanmar camp.

Revelation that a total of 12 Hong Kong residents were stranded in a “scam camp” has prompted the Government to send a team of security officials to Thailand to seek their early return. By the time when this article was completed, only one returned home after his family reportedly paid a ransom to the kidnappers. The role of the Government, if any, in the release, is unclear.

On Friday, security minister Chris Tang held meetings with representatives from the Thai government and the Myanmar government in Hong Kong and gave media interviews. Will and how that helps end the ordeal of the detainees are unclear.

The Government switched to crisis mode on the diplomatic and public relations fronts soon after Andy Yu, a yesterday’s young democrat, came out to help the victims.

Someone has to come out

Yu, however, soon emerged as a target of attack by Joephy Chan. Writing on her facebook, she claimed that Yu was doing so to pave his way for participating in elections.

Chan’s allegation was dismissed by netizens on her own Facebook and the wider social media circle. Some ridiculed her for doing nothing with her role as a legislator.

In a post on social media, Yu wrote late Friday he has no plan to run for election.

“In today’s Hong Kong, who will not be afraid when facing the Security Bureau? Someone has to stand up and come out.”

He won applause from netizens. Chan was greeted by curses from both the “yellow” and “blue” circles.

The secrets behind the “scam farm” are yet to come to light. The side story about an ex-political aspirant exposing the ugly side of a young patriot shed some light on the truth of the game of “patriots ruling Hong Kong.”

( Photo : Andy Yu facebook )

▌[At Large] About the Author

Chris Yeung is a veteran journalist, a founder and chief writer of the now-disbanded CitizenNews; he now runs a daily news commentary channel on Youtube. He had formerly worked with the South China Morning Post and the Hong Kong Economic Journal.