The Hong Kong government has secretly agreed with Beijing on parts of a planned anti-subversion law that some fear could crush people's freedoms here, a prominent opposition figure charged Thursday.
Lawmaker Martin Lee said Hong Kong and Beijing's "consensus" on the timing of the law and at least some of what it contains raise questions about the legitimacy of an ongoing public consultation the government here has promised.
"How genuine can this consultation be?" asked Lee, who has long been the territory's most prominent opposition figure but stepped down Sunday as chairman of the Democratic Party because of term limits.
Hong Kong's government has repeatedly said the public is being adequately consulted on the anti-subversion law, required under the territory's mini-constitution that was agreed upon by Britain and China before the 1997 handover.
Asked about Lee's comments on Thursday, Hong Kong officials noted that Secretary for Security Regina Ip has said it was only logical for Hong Kong to consult with Beijing on matters involving national security but that the technical and legal details will all be handled locally.
Lee said he has tried but failed to get answers on everything Hong Kong and Beijing have allegedly agreed on.
Lee accused Hong Kong officials of bending to Beijing's wishes by trying to make the law "compatible" with mainland China's laws against subversion, treason and sedition. He argued that Hong Kong has its own legal system with no need for similar laws.
"We drive on the left of the road, they drive on the right," Lee said in an address to foreign correspondents.
"If every law were compatible, where do you have one country, two systems?" Lee asked, referring to the government system put in place when Britain returned Hong Kong to China five years ago.
The system is intended to leave Hong Kong people in control of Hong Kong, with Western-style civil liberties and capitalist business rules intact, while Beijing handles matters such as foreign affairs.
Lee said the "most evil part" of the law, expected to take effect by July, would let Beijing certify political groups in the mainland as threats to China's national security, and applying that label to people in Hong Kong with no way for Hong Kong to challenge it.
"They can strike down any organization in Hong Kong with a certificate," Lee said.
He held out the Falun Gong meditation sect, outlawed as an "evil cult" in China but legal in Hong Kong, as a likely target.
The Hong Kong government has said it has no intention of using the law against Falun Gong.