The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress has decided to let the entire Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region continue discharging its duties for no less than a year until the seventh-term LegCo is sworn in. 

The decision has eased public concerns about what negative effects the absence of LegCo might have on the normal operation of the HKSAR government because the seventh-term LegCo election has been postponed until September next year. It has been widely hailed as yet another example of the central authorities’ support for Hong Kong society as a whole. That is why the opposition camp should abandon its confrontationist and often-destructive approach toward political issues.

The NPCSC decision has effectively helped Hong Kong avoid a legislative lacuna ... It is yet another example of Beijing’s unreserved support for the HKSAR. No matter how hard the opposition have been trying over the past 23 years to convince the public of the contrary, they have no chance of succeeding because they completely rely on lies

Every lawmaker needs to keep in mind that the central government in Beijing takes public health of the nation as the top priority amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including that of Hong Kong, which has its unique socio-political environment as well as capitalist system. That is why it supports the HKSAR government’s decision to postpone the election, originally scheduled for Sept 6, to prevent possible outbreaks caused by campaign activities and voting lines as well as ensure a fair and peaceful LegCo election.

The opposition lawmakers, if they truly care about the well-being of the voting public in Hong Kong as they would have us believe, should take this opportunity to prove it to the people of the city, the country and the world. Many local residents have urged them to do the right thing by becoming the “loyal opposition” instead of filibustering all the time; stop assuming checks and balances are all about fighting the executive branch of the SAR government every step of the way; and listen to the majority of local residents instead of foreign governments with ulterior motives.

If they refuse to heed public wishes and continue down the confrontationist path, the coming year just may be the last time they will ever serve as lawmakers. If they sincerely wish to win the hearts of as many voters as possible, they have no choice but to part ways with the secessionists for good and start serving the overall interest of Hong Kong society for real.

It is a great shame that some members of the opposition camp have openly rejected the NPCSC decision and are demanding the seventh-term LegCo election be held as originally planned. Apparently, their thinking is still stuck in the “opposing for opposing’s sake” mode. However, there is no point denying Hong Kong’s constitutional reality, including the fact that no one in Hong Kong has the authority to overturn the NPCSC decision.

If they still wish to win majority support in future elections, there is no better time than now to prove they deserve it by committing to helping the government win the fight against the pandemic. If they insist on doing the opposite, such as public protests in violation of social-distancing rules as well as the Public Order Ordinance, they will further alienate themselves from Hong Kong society. The only way for the opposition lawmakers to regain public trust is to abandon confrontation in favor of Hong Kong society’s stability and prosperity. They should uphold the rule of law instead of advocating “achieving justice by breaking the law”. And they should respect and uphold Hong Kong’s constitutional order of executive-led government, by refraining from acts of political confrontation that put people’s health and even lives at risk.

To the dismay of many, the opposition lawmakers’ initial response to the NPCSC was downright hostile. In addition to accusing the NPCSC of violating Article 69 of the Basic Law, which stipulates that the tenure of legislative councilors is four years, some of them also threatened to resign en masse. If more than one-third of the councilors resign, the goal can only be a legislative crisis, which would no doubt greatly hamper efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and potentially leave many local residents in danger of viral infection, some even fatally. 

The NPCSC decision has effectively helped Hong Kong avoid a legislative lacuna, which the city cannot solve on its own because it does not have the constitutional authority to do so. It is yet another example of Beijing’s unreserved support for the HKSAR. No matter how hard the opposition have been trying over the past 23 years to convince the public of the contrary, they have no chance of succeeding because they completely rely on lies.

They may have managed to convince some innocent young people of “achieving justice by breaking the law” in the past, but there is little if any chance of making anyone believe endless unrest is better than containing a global pandemic. Still, there are signs some opposition members of the LegCo are as intransigent as ever, if not more so, and people can only hope they would have a change of heart before it is too late.

The author is a current affairs commentator.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.