The Fight For Democracy in Hong Kong

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The topic of democracy has long been controversial in Hong Kong, a country which has been commonly seen as an autonomous country but is actually semi-autonomous from China. There are still many obstacles for Hong Kong and its citizens to face before they can gain full democracy.

The Meaning of Democracy

The meaning of democracy has altered over the years to better conceptualize this ideology. One way of putting democracy is "government of the people, by the people, for the people."[1] Some ideas of democracy are clear: the leader (such as a President or Prime Minister) represents the people, where they seek to fulfill the demands of the people to the best of their abilities. Eligible citizens cast a single vote to who they personally deem can best represent them and their needs. Some countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada exercise democracy, with citizens having the ability to be a part of the electoral process. Thus, democracy aims to include equal participation of citizens in "free and fair elections... and [the] elections direct the actions of government." [2] Additionally, democracy means that citizens are able to enjoy several benefits, such as freedom of expression and speech, and equal rights for all. As well, if a government is not properly representing the people, the mass are able to rule out the government if they wish.

History of Democracy in Hong Kong

In 1997, Hong Kong was handed over back to China by the British, marking the end of almost a century of rule by the British since 1898. In a response to this, China introduced Hong Kong to "one country, two systems,"[3] allowing the country to have "independent legal systems and police forces"[4] from China. For politics, Hong Kong's head of government, the Chief Executive, would be "elected by a 1,200 member electoral college from... candidates approved by the Chinese government,"[4] showing the semi-autonomy that Hong Kong is able to have from China. This electoral committee would be one that best represents the 7 million citizens of Hong Kong,[5] but is a system where citizens deem incompetent when representing their needs. The semi-autonomous rule in Hong Kong continues to this day and the fate of Hong Kong remains unclear after 2047. China has "resisted democratization,"[3] so growing discontent has spread in Hong Kong. This has been evident in China's opposition to the "encouragement of democracy because free elections in Hong Kong could have permitted the coming to power of politicians who were not sympathetic to the Central Government."[1]

Anti-Extradition Bill Protests

The 2019 Anti-Extradition Bill Protests were catalyzed by a collective outrage from Hong Kong citizens about the proposed 2019 Extradition Bill. This amendment to the bill would mean that those suspected of a crime or offence are punishable and will face trial in mainland China.[6] While this sounds like a fair bill, the citizens of Hong Kong rallied support due to the fact that the bill was vague, meaning that China could ask for anyone to be extradited as long as they deem them to be guilty. The current Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, has offered her support to such an amendment.

Over one million people have taken the streets in the city to express their disapproval about the bill. On June 12, 2019, police fired rubber bullets and utilized tear gas on peaceful protesters, "[triggering] the city's largest and most violent protests in decades."[7] These protests resulted in Chief Executive Lam to indefinitely suspend the bill, but the amendment was not discarded. Since July 2019, Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters have taken more drastic approaches to having their voices heard. One notable example is that MTR stations were "delayed and partially suspended"[8] due to these protesters' pleas to be taken seriously by the country.

Intersectional Analysis of the Anti-Extradition Bill Protests

Looking from the outside, bystanders can see the slow eradication of Hong Kong citizens' democracy if the extradition amendment passes the legislature. A proper democracy seems to be straying further away from these citizens' hands.

From an intersectional viewpoint, the citizens of Hong Kong are collaborative, no matter what socioeconomic status, gender or age group they are categorized in. Some of these individuals make up the youth of Hong Kong and are studying, while others are middle-aged and work as construction workers and nurses.[9] These efforts to protest are to "display solidarity [and] to push the government to reform"[10] as these individuals are concerned with this controversial bill. For instance, on June 14, 2019, over 6,000 protesters that were mothers showed up at Tamar Park to protest over the bill.[11] This was a unique instance as it proved that it was not just the youth that were uneasy about the future of Hong Kong if the bill passed, thus shooting down attempts at denouncing the youth for starting such uprisings.

All the individuals participating in the anti-extradition protests see their path to democracy being tarnished if this amendment passes. Many citizens have called this "legalized abduction"[12] since China is able to extradite these individuals as long as they deem them guilty. This has been evident in China's efforts to "[jailing] activists, [disqualifying] elected pro-democracy lawmakers, and [constructing]... infrastructure physically linking Hong Kong more closely with the mainland."[12] If this bill passes, then China will be able to "find ways to charge [these individuals]," which would contradict the proposed bill's attempts at protecting Hong Kong's free speech and political rights.[13] Moreover, the passage of the amendment would mean that Hong Kong citizens' attempts at gaining democracy will be completely scrapped, and the start of China's success at restricting policies in Hong Kong. Not only that, Hong Kong citizens see the passage of this bill as a signal to their Hong Kong identity being diminished, as a 2017 poll suggested that "only three percent of 18-to-29 year olds view themselves as Chinese,"[14] suggesting the strong views that Hong Kong and China have separate identities.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Bray, Mark (Winter 1993). "Education, democracy and colonial transition: The case of Hong Kong". International Review of Education. 39: 541–560 – via Springer.
  2. Dalton, Russell J. (Fall 2007). "Understanding Democracy: Data from Unlikely Places". Journal of Democracy. 18 – via Project MUSE.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Davis, Michael C. (Summer 2006). "Constitutionalism and the Politics of Democracy in Hong Kong". The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs. 30: 165–177.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "What is China's "one country, two systems" policy?". The Economist. June 30, 2019.
  5. Richardson, Michael Joseph (Winter 2017). "Occupy Hong Kong? Gweilo Citizenship and Social Justice". Annals of the American Association of Geographers: 486–498 – via Taylor and Francis Group.
  6. Joseph, Rebecca (June 10, 2019). "Hong Kong extradition bill: What is it and why are people protesting?". Global News.
  7. "Timeline: Key dates for Hong Kong extradition bill and protests". Reuters. June 30, 2019.
  8. "Pro-Democracy Protesters Block Train Service in Hong Kong". Learning English. July 30, 2019.
  9. "Hong Kong Charges Dozens of Protestors with Rioting". NPR. July 31, 2019.
  10. Bosco, Joseph (2016). "The sacred in urban political protests in Hong Kong". International Sociology. 31: 375–395 – via Sage.
  11. Ng, Naomi (June 14, 2019). "Mothers stage sit-in in Hong Kong park calling on government to withdraw extradition bill and for Chief Executive Carrie Lam to step down". https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3014613/mothers-stage-sit-hong-kong-park-calling-government. External link in |website= (help)
  12. 12.0 12.1 Kuo, Lily (June 12, 2019). "Street protesters dig in for Hong Kong's 'last battle'". The Guardian.
  13. Lawrence, Elizabeth (June 11, 2019). "If Hong Kong extradition bill passes, what will happen?". USA Today.
  14. Bandow, Doug (July 17, 2017). "China Tightens Control Over Hong Kong on 20th Anniversary of Takeover". Huffington Post.