Hong Kong Democracy Protest Demands Real Democracy
By Dr. Vivek Kumar Srivastava
30 September, 2014
Countercurrents.org
The recent democracy movement in Hong Kong has awakened the Chinese authorities from blinking slumber that not everything is smooth in its internationally successful territory. The development of which was not its contribution but of UK which made it a real world capital.
Chinese government has never desired to allow Hong Kong to have the real democracy for the reason that it may spill over in its mainland. A danger which the communist rule can never dream in its wildest dream. The present condition is very hard for China. Its state system has come under threat though in small measures by the protests taking place in Hong Kong.
The people of this city state of past lived in a flourishing liberal democratic system. They enjoyed the freedom and equality of the finest order. After 1997 all is gone into dark forests of non deliberation. China knows what Hong Kong means for it. It also knows that people are defiant. Young ones are more active. They are sons of a different land not of the mainland where freedom has been restricted since 1949, the thinking process has been strangulated . The worst form of communism has been practiced in order to maintain the strong control on the governance. Liberty in the name of ideology is sacrificed. Though China has attracted the global attention for its economic growth. It was propelled by Deng Xiaoping in 1978 by Four Modernisation Programme.
Much has changed since then. GDP has increased and industrial output too has registered the growth. The world saw an emerging China but basic liberties were crushed. The consequence is that protest of Hong Kong has come to such a stage that it is now being thought as the leading thread to bring real democracy and respect to basic human rights in China which have long remained under the cage of strong communist rule. This is iron law of few ideologues who have denied the people the rights for the humane living.
Political systems afflicted with such approach usually remain coercive to those who demand the freedom and healthy way of living. The protests in Hong Kong are primarily an urge of the people to attain these. This needs to be ensured by the Chinese government. The democracy as conceptualised by Chinese authorities believe in allowing those to participate in the election process who are loyal to it.
Though in 2007 National People’s Congress had granted the universal suffrage to the people of Hong Kong but Chinese have placed a restriction that candidates’ selection for the election in 2017 in Hong Kong will be determined by a committee, likely to be controlled by the Chinese government.
This is not true form of democracy. The desire to elect its ruler and the individuals possess sovereign authority to say, to air the view, albeit with the reasonable restrictions are basic conditions of democracy. Reasonable restrictions mean reasonable, not serving the interests of a particular political party or system which denies the genuine rights to people. This state of affairs is obtained in China.
The Occupy Central movement and the oppressive measures on the followers of this movement in Hong Kong needs to be looked with sympathetic support. People are less and governing authority is too strong but human aspirations and desires are stronger than any coercive measures. China must understand it. They have a long history of struggle. Mao, once a follower of liberalism with belief in human values altered the whole system in China after assuming the powers in China in 1949. He emerged a powerful man with the distorted version of Marxism where people lived with penury and thought less life. The liberty was scarified on the altar of the ideology. After almost two and half decades the same China dumped him into the dustbin of the history and adopted a new path based on free market economy but discarded the associated values of the western democracy including the freedom of expression and thoughts, right to elect the government by open democratic system with competition among the candidates. The new phase is on cards. The movement in Hong Kong emphasises that China must initiate the second, but more important than ones as adopted in late 1970s, reforms with political orientations.
The Chinese government’s attitude is not supportive. They must understand that Arab Spring stared in MENA area with just a small spark. The people in the China may move towards the democracy as they see an opportunity. Hence it is better for every regime to think in right direction of giving people what actually is their natural right. The Hong Kong people should be allowed to have a true from of democracy. Falsehood is anathema to the survival to any political system.
In this respect the role of USA becomes critical. US has always expressed concerns about the state of human rights and democracy in China and other parts of the world but when time comes for any real action , it retreats. The recent movement in Hong Kong has not elicited any strong support from USA. It has taken a cautious stand. It has taken a neutral position , only voicing that it believes in the basic democratic value but stiff support is no where. This is the real face of the contemporary International Politics where national interests dominates the genuine values. Rhetoric is no answer to the real dangers on humanity.
The Hong Kong has to attain its lost status in terms of a free life . It is a world capital. It is symbol of the dynamism and success. Youth of this land are still demanding the real implementation of the democratic bases. They are future of their country. Their voice should not be stifled. This is demand of the modern civilization. World needs to understand it and China must move towards the real reform process.
Dr. Vivek Kumar Srivastava is presently Assistant Professor in CSJM Kanpur University[affiliated college],Vice Chairman CSSP; Recent Paper- UP By-elections are a Lesson for BJP, Mainstream Weekly,29th September 2014,www.mainstreamweekly.net; email: [email protected]
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