Lord Patten, the Last Governor of Hong Kong, Receives Highest UK Honour

Christopher Francis Patten, the last Governor of Hong Kong, was presented with the Order of the Garter, the highest rank of knighthood in England, by King Charles III on Sunday, April 23, on Saint George’s Day.

The recent statement from Buckingham Palace introduces Patten as, in order, “a former Conservative Member of Parliament who became the final Governor of Hong Kong from 1992-1997,” before saying that Patten was first elected MP in 1979 and has served in government for over 20 years, including as Secretary of State for the Environment and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and as Conservative Party Chairman.

The statement also mentioned that Patten led the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland and was the EU Commissioner for External Relations from 1999 to 2004 and Chairman of the BBC Trust from 2011 to 2014.

In addition to Patten, the royal family also announced the award of the Order of Garter to Catherine Margaret Ashton, the first High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU.

Several Dignitaries Honored with the Order of the Garter

The Order of the Garter is Britain’s oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry. Its origins date back to 1348 when King Edward III, inspired by the legendary King Arthur and the chivalrous Knights of the Round Table, established his legion of honor and founded the Order of the Garter.

The Order of the Garter is Britain’s oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry. Each year, it is celebrated with a procession and service on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

The British monarchs select Knights of the Garter, an order established to honor individuals who have held public office, made exceptional contributions to the nation’s life, or served the monarch personally. The Order’s ex-officio members consist of the King and the Prince of Wales and 24 other esteemed members. Currently, four seats remain unfilled, although numerous British royals and foreign monarchs have been awarded this distinction. Upon the death of a Knight of the Garter, the medal will be returned to the British monarch, and the vacant positions will be announced on St. George’s Day.

Many British Prime Ministers have been awarded the Order of Garter, including Prime Minister Winston Churchill in World War II (who refused the order), Lady Margaret Thatcher, the longest-serving Prime Minister in Britain, and former Prime Minister, John Major and Tony Blair.

Chairman of the Organizing Committee and veteran media personality Victor Ho Leung Mau analyzed in a web-based radio program that the awarding of the Order of Garter to Chris Patten is a signal that “Britain has not forgotten Hong Kong” and a hint to the government of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that the policy towards Hong Kong should be more aggressive to help Hong Kong people.

In 2006, Charles’ opinions on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) were exposed after his diary was disclosed during a lawsuit. Within the pages, Charles referred to the CCP leaders at the 1997 handover ceremony as “appalling old waxworks.” He further critiqued the then-Communist President Jiang Zemin’s speech, labeling it “a kind of propaganda speech.” According to Charles, the official handover ceremony was a “disgusting Soviet-style display,” leaving a lasting impression on him.

Furthermore, he mentioned in his diary that “all Hong Kong people” at the time were one of high optimism in the short term. However, he felt corruption was rising in Hong Kong, and the rule of law was gradually undermined. Charles also wrote, “The ceremony ended with us all being photographed in a group, shaking hands and marching off through different doors. Thus we left Hong Kong to her fate and the hope that Martin Lee, the leader of the Democrats, would not be arrested.”

During his tenure as Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten experienced a tense relationship with the CCP.

In 1992, upon assuming the position of Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten became actively engaged with the city and spoke out against the CCP.

During his term as Governor, Chris Patten implemented an administrative reform package aimed at bolstering the democratic elements of the Legislative Council. The package introduced nine new functional constituency seats that were nearly directly elected, with incumbents having a share in the voting process. However, this move attracted criticism from Lu Ping, who was then the Head of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. Lu Ping branded Patten as a “sinner of the ages” for disguising direct elections, disrupting Hong Kong’s smooth transition, and creating a strained relationship with the CCP.

Chris Patten has returned to Hong Kong several times since leaving office. In 2007, on the tenth anniversary of the handover of sovereignty in Hong Kong, Chris Patten was interviewed by the South China Morning Post and Hong Kong Phoenix Television and said that “one country, two systems” was very effective in Hong Kong.

Criticized the Chinese Communist Government and Hong Kong Repeatedly

During the Umbrella Movement in November 2014, Chris Patten delivered a speech addressing the Oxford China Forum, commending the Hong Kong Occupy Movement participants for their impressive dignity and serious demeanor. He further implored the leader of the CCP, Xi Jinping, not to disappoint an entire generation of young people in Hong Kong.

In 2017, he criticized the then Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen Kwok-Keung for proposing to review the sentences in the Occupy case, calling it a political decision. This move drew the attention of foreign media, who reported on the emergence of political prisoners in Hong Kong and questioned whether the rule of law still prevailed. Fast forward to April 2019, and the defendants in the Occupy Nine case faced charges of several “public nuisance” and related offenses, resulting in all of them being convicted.

In September 2019, when the movement was in full swing, the Epoch Times interviewed Patten. He criticized the Hong Kong government for failing to establish an effective communication platform with the protesters, further exacerbating the situation. Additionally, he called on everyone to support the Hong Kong people’s opposition to the amendment of the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance.

At that time, he also urged the British government to implement affirmative action for British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders from Hong Kong, allowing them to live and work in the UK. The UK government later implemented this proposal in 2020, following the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Act.

In March 2020, police arrested many pro-democracy figures, including the founder of One Media Group, Jimmy Lai Chi-ying, the former chairman of the Democratic Party, Yeung Sum, and the former Legislative Council member of the Democratic Party, Lee Cheuk-yan, over their alleged involvement in an “illegal assembly” on Aug. 31, 2019. At that time, Chris Patten condemned the police for their egregious actions and criticized the CCP for quashing Hong Kong’s freedom. Subsequently, in July of the same year, the Hong Kong government disqualified 12 pro-democracy activists from participating in the Legislative Council election, which Chris Patten denounced as a “brutal political purge.”

Speaking out for Hong Kongers Many Times After the Anti-Extradition Bill Movement,

Chris Patten, a member of the British House of Lords, has been a vocal advocate for the politically persecuted people of Hong Kong after the Anti-Extradition Bill Movement.

Before the National Security Law was enacted in May 2020, Chris Patten and almost 200 political figures worldwide released a joint statement condemning its adverse effects on Hong Kong’s autonomy, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law. Following this, Patten became a patron of Hong Kong Watch, a British non-governmental organization that focuses on human rights issues in Hong Kong.

In April 2021, he signed a joint letter with 103 cross-party Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom to then Prime Minister Boris Johnson requesting that the British government activate the Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act to impose sanctions on officials and entities that continue to commit serious violations of Uighur human rights and suppress the democracy movement in Hong Kong, as a response to the CCP’s sanctioning of British legislators.

In July 2021, Chris Patten made a powerful statement through Hong Kong Watch. He asserted that the CCP had flagrantly broken the promises of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, stifled the freedom of speech and press, and even went so far as to silence the Apple Daily, all out of fear that Hong Kong’s citizens would embrace values strong enough to challenge their regime. Patten acknowledged the difficult situation in Hong Kong but urged the people not to lose hope and to remain confident that their freedom would be restored one day.

In May of 2022, he authored an article criticizing the incoming Chief Executive, John Li Ka-Chiu, for suppressing participants in the 2019 Anti-Extradition Bill Movement. Additionally, he highlighted the arrest of Cardinal Zen, who ran the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, as another disturbing example of the CCP’s determination to transform Hong Kong into a police city. In July of the same year, he pointed out that Li had since taken office as the new Chief Executive and lamented that Hong Kong had descended into a “police city.”

In February, on the second anniversary of the Hong Kong government’s indictment of 47 pro-democracy primary election stakeholders, 54 cross-party members of the British House of Commons, including Chris Patten, jointly petitioned British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to intervene with the Hong Kong government. The petition requested the release of former legislator Claudia Mo and assistance to the remaining BNO passport holders in the 47-person case. The signatories mentioned that the British Foreign Office must assist the 47 democrats in ensuring their release and emphasized their plea for immediate action.

On March 2, Chris Patten penned a letter to Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, urging the government to broaden the Hong Kong Pathway Stream B scope. This comes after the program failed to grant permanent residency to Hong Kong graduates due to the “five-year graduation restriction.” Patten’s proposal seeks to enhance Canada’s lifeboat policy and assist graduates facing obstacles in obtaining permanent residency.

On March 27, Chris Patten delivered a speech at the “UK Hong Kong People’s Summit 2023” in London, where he praised the remarkable contribution made by the Hong Kong people to the United Kingdom. Speaking passionately for over half an hour, Patten expressed his hope that the people of Hong Kong would take their rightful place in British society and even have one of their own as a future British Prime Minister. He also highlighted the issues surrounding Hong Kong people who cannot, under the BNO visa scheme, enroll in universities at the same lower tuition fees as local students. Patten called upon the UK Home Office to speed up the processing of political refugee applications from Hong Kong, highlighting the urgent need for support and protection for those seeking refuge.