Hong Kong, March 26 (HBTV): It has long been a cherished ambition of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman Xi Jinping - but not of the vast majority of Hong Kong people - to enact security regulations that outlaw dissent against the governing regime. 

That aim became a reality on March 19 when the Legislative Council unanimously passed Article 23 into its mini-constitution that is known as the Basic Law. 

Indeed, so eager was the CCP to pass Article 23, that Chinese state-owned broadcaster CCTV reported the results on its social media accounts even before the Legislative Council (LegCo) voted the "Safeguarding National Security Law" into being! CCTV broadcast the results 20 minutes before the 89 members of the council, who are all "patriots" to Beijing, started voting 89-0 in favor of the law.  

This illustrates how Hong Kong's political leaders are now a little different to China's "rubber stamp" parliament known as the National People's Congress. The rare meeting was convened off-schedule, and it was rushed through with lightning speed.  

One after the other, members stood in the council chamber - which protestors had once stormed back in 2019 - to praise the virtues of Article 23.   

The sycophantic council rushed the legislation through, perhaps chillingly recalling that the prospect of introduction of this toxic law had drawn 500,000 protesters onto the city's streets back in 2003, and it had also been a catalyst in the protests from 2014-19.  

This time, the legislation passed Article 23 in just eleven days. It might have been a show of democracy in name, but this passage of this law was anything but. 

Article 23 promises prison sentences up to life for crimes such as treason, insurrection and sabotage, but legislators said it was necessary to "ensure the safety of life and property". 

It came into force on March 23. The law covers five areas: treason; insurrection and incitement to mutiny; theft of state secret and espionage; sabotage; and external interference. The latter can be ambiguously construed as foreign governments, political parties, international organizations or their personnel.

(ANI) This is a syndicated news feed. HBTV has edited it for clarity.