This is a long one but I write this because I want to be fair to the HK government. The way I see it, a lot of people are trying to send deceiving or unreliable messages to the world and to those concerned but unfamiliar with HK affairs as if HK had been under dictatorship since the handover in 1997 and that the freedoms and liberties had been jeopardized and deprived of greatly under the current Administration...which is far from the truth. I have always believed in democracy since the day I learn about politics because democracy is a government by the people and for the people. Who doesnt want a democratic government as your government? HK has never been a full democracy even as a British colony for over 100+years before the handover in 1997 not because the freedoms nor the separation of powers through a system of checks and balances HK is built upon any less superior than those in US and UK but because HK the then governors under British were by appointments and the now chief executives are by votes of 1200 representatives consisting of private citizens, and members from different industries. Other than the election system, HK government has always been very much democratic and is no different from those recognized as such...I said this not based on the so-and-so index rating conducted by some research publications but through life experience as a resident in HK. • If HK had no freedom of press, local and foreign TV news would already have been censored and prohibited its live news broadcast reporting of the Occupy Central movement. By the same token, domestic newspaper Apple Daily would not have been able to take advantage of such freedom to continually spread propaganda for the movement. • If HK had no freedom of assembly, the already 5-day Occupy Central movement would already have been over the same day it had started. • If HK had no freedom of expression, the people responsible for stirring up this disruption and chaos in HK would not have been allowed to appear on TV expressing their views without the fear of having repercussions and threatening the HK government to comply with their demands. • If HK had no freedom of association, those participating in the protest would not have been allowed to freely join any of these political parties that started the Occupy Central movement and these people would already have been arrested even before this movement had a chance to start. These are all essential cornerstones of democratic rights and freedoms which are all protected by HK Basic Law whereas many so-called democratic nations do not even allow their citizens to have a chance to enjoy a fraction of the freedoms being protected and taken for granted in HK under the Basic Law and yet their nations are recognized as democratic simply because they use 1-citizen-1-vote election system, the same kind of universal suffrage some 100K-150K+ (some 2% HK population) HKongers are now demanding HK government to submit to by illegitimate means of threats, disruptive actions, verbal abuses, aggressive stand-offs, and inciting and instigating others to trespass and illegally occupy major public areas seriously impairing normal activities of HK (including causing serious stability, economical and political impacts)...all in the name of democracy. With that said and only 3 years away from the timetable of having universal suffrage, is it really a must to have it now instead of in 2017? Is it worth the chaos right now? Is the demand for universal suffrage worth jeopardizing the financial and political stability and peace the people of HK have always worked so hard to maintain for everyone to take all these for granted when it was a colony then and when it is a Special Administrative Region now. I am all for a more democratic HK as well, but I am against these aggressive outlaws who appear to be peaceful and reasonable but not at all peaceful in them because I question their motives and their real intentions of those who instigated this movement in the name of a democratic HK. Majority of HK people do not condone the Occupy Central protest being participated by merely 2% of the HK population but they have their right to do so if done in a peaceful and a non-disruptive manner. As they do not represent the majority and do not represent the voice of the other 7+ million HKongers, and they are seriously hurting and impairing the lives of the people in HK, they should end their disorderly protest now to restore law and order and return real peace to the other 7+million HKongers. If not, the HK government has the right and is obligated to take appropriate actions to protect the majority of HK against these people who might appear non-violent and yet their aggressive actions and behaviors have already violated the law because they have illegally trespassed in many areas and have damaged government properties and have instigated others to participate in unlawful activities. Quote from HREA (Human Rights Education Associates) “Freedom of expression is essential in enabling democracy to work and public participation in decision-making. Citizens cannot exercise their right to vote effectively or take part in public decision-making if they do not have free access to information and ideas and are not able to express their views freely. Freedom of expression is thus not only important for individual dignity but also to participation, accountability and democracy. Violations of freedom of expression often go hand in hand with other violations, in particular the right to freedom of association and assembly.” hrea.org/index.php?base_id=147
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 16:39:42 +0000
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