- WSJ.com A Fight for the Soul of Hong Kong September 3, 2004 COMMENTARY
DOW JONES REPRINTS This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool at the bottom of any article or visit: www.djreprints.com. See a sample reprint in PDF format. Order a reprint of this article now. A Fight for the Soul of Hong Kong By EMILY LAU September 3, 2004 No event in Hong Kong has caused Beijing greater concern in recent years than the upcoming elections for a new legislature on Sept. 12. After two huge demonstrations on July 1, 2003 and again on July 1, 2004 -when more than half a million people took to the streets to support political reform -- China fears a landslide for pro-democracy candidates in the polls for the 60-member Legislative Council. They worry that would reduce the administration of Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa, to a lame duck. That's why Beijing has been doing all it can to try to prevent this from happening. Chinese officials have been working frenetically to co-ordinate the pro-Beijing candidates in order to prevent them from challenging each other in the same constituencies and so splitting the pro-Beijing vote. Some voters who work for Hong Kong factories in China say they have come under pressure from influential figures on the mainland to vote for pro-Beijing candidates. Others say they have received calls from friends and relatives in China offering them advice on whom to vote for. In recent weeks, pro-democracy candidates have been the subject of a smear campaign. One was detained while on a visit to southern China, and sentenced to six months after being accused of patronizing a prostitute, a charge which he denies. Several others have faced accusations of financial irregularities and claims about their private lives from local publications sympathetic to Beijing. My home was broken into last weekend and, although nothing was stolen, I'm concerned that they may have planted bugs and searched through my personal papers. The police are currently investigating the case. The upcoming elections are of particular significance because they amount to a referendum on two crucial issues -- constitutional reform and national-security laws that threaten to restrict civil liberties in Hong Kong. At present, Hong Kong's chief executive and most of its lawmakers are not democratically elected. Even after the Sept. 12 elections, only half the legislature will have been democratically elected by one-person, one-vote. The other 30 members are elected by limited franchise, in which the voters are mainly the business and professional elite. Mr. Tung was chosen by a
committee of only 800 people. The Basic Law does allow Hong Kong people to propose changes to this system for the next round of elections in 2007 and 2008, although these would have to be approved by Beijing before they can be implemented. But in April, without even consulting the people of Hong Kong beforehand, China decided to rule out any possibility of democratic elections in 2007 and 2008. This was a big blow to popular aspirations for democracy. Nonetheless, to Beijing's dismay, half a million people still turned out in scorching heat on July 1 to march in support of democratic elections in 2007 and 2008. Thus although Beijing has said no, Kong Hong people are not willing to lie down and play dead. They do not want to confront Chinese authorities, but they are anxious to preserve their civil liberties and the rule of law. They also believe a democratically elected government is better placed to protect their interests. This is related to the issue of Article 23 of the Basic Law -- Hong Kong's mini-constitution, which requires laws against subversion, sedition, secession, treason and theft of state secrets. Last year the Tung administration used high-handed means to try to bulldoze a bill covering such offences through the legislature. But their tactics backfired and resulted in the huge public protest on July 1, 2003 -- which ultimately forced the administration to shelve the bill, after a key ally withdrew his support for it. Many Hong Kong people objected to the bill because they feared it would restrict basic freedoms. Although the bill was shelved in 2003, it is bound to be re-introduced in the near future, thus one of the most important tasks of the new legislature is to ensure that no law is enacted which would undermine civil liberties. The elections takes place in a tense atmosphere, as freedom of expression and freedom of the press come under increasing pressure in Hong Kong. In the last few months, several popular radio talk-show hosts have been forced to step down from Commercial Radio, a popular local station. One of them, Albert Cheng, said the political atmosphere was suffocating. Last month, Commercial Radio terminated his contract and Mr. Cheng is now standing for election as a lawmaker. China's heavy presence has prompted journalist organizations publicly to urge Beijing not to intervene in Hong Kong affairs. As pressure from the North intensifies, Hong Kong people will have to use their wisdom and courage to defend their lifestyle and fight for democracy. Hong Kong people have never disputed that the territory is part of China. But they want Hong Kong to enjoy a high degree of autonomy under the concept of "one-co...