As if Hong Kong doesn't have enough trouble with fake products already, we now have a couple of Mainland "guardians" (read final arbiters) of the Basic Law telling us to beware the latest imitation: fake democracy. From the SCMP:

They also warned Hong Kong people to beware of ambitious politicians who fought for power under the guise of democracy...Xu Chongde, one of the so-called "four guardians" of the Basic Law, warned Hong Kong people to distinguish fake democracy from real democracy.

"Democracy is a very moving word. But we definitely have to define what real democracy is and what fake democracy is. We definitely have to have a democracy which would safeguard Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, but not ... a kind of democracy which betrays the national interest."

The Basic Law should be understood in its entirety not just by its words, a leading mainland legal expert said yesterday.
Principles such as patriotism and the executive-led government were contained in the spirit of the mini-constitution, even though they were not overtly stated, the expert said..."We have to understand the Basic Law in words, but also have to understand it in its spirit, essence and legislative intention ... We have to understand it in entirety, not only reading on the face of its words," Professor Xiao [a Basic Law drafter] said...Professor Xiao also said provisions restraining the legislature from tabling motions that affect public expenditure and government policies implied that the principle of executive-led government should remain dominant in the political system.

Xu Chongde, another Basic Law drafter and law professor of People's University, urged Hong Kong people to distinguish between real and fake democracies. He said democracy should not be equated with universal suffrage and that such a demand came only from a part of the population.

Shao Tianren, another Basic Law drafter and legal adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said historical factors and Hong Kong's present situation had to be taken into consideration when interpreting the Basic Law, otherwise it would undermine social stability. Mr Shao said Hong Kong did not have a tradition of democracy and it could not blindly follow the mould of western democracy.

The principles they divine are simple. Firstly the right kind of government for Hong Kong is executive-led. Forget about a balance of powers between the legislature, judiciary and executive. It's the Chief Exec and that's it. Given how badly it has gone since 1997 it may be time for a re-assessment on that score. If the executive has no popular mandate they spend their time worrying about their legitimacy. Rightly, as it turns out. The killer quote is democracy should not be equated with universal suffrage. Which is of course entirely correct. It also included rule of law, freedom of press and expression and a respect for property and human rights. But I don't know of any example of a democracy that doesn't include universal suffrage as a key element. But that's so "Western" of me. China's different. It doesn't have a "tradition of democracy". That's the perfect reason why they shouldn't start now.

Welcome to political discourse, Hong Kong style. We report, China decides.