Tuesday 2 May 2023

“Not the good news” category: results from the 2019 movement

Until 2019, and the demos and the riots, Hong Kong as moving slowly towards universal suffrage for electing the Chief Executive.  But the “democracy movement” was too impatient. Perfection the enemy of the good. Too slow was too bad. 

And it’s  true what our current CE John Lee says above: factions were pushing for independence for Hong Kong. Although many of them denied it, even at the time. I know because I met with them and challenged them, and they denied, flatly to my face, that they were pushing for independence, when they had it in all their online messaging. And it was all their graffiti. 

And you only had to know the Beijing view of “Hong Kong independence” to know that this was kryptonite. Playing with the most dangerous fire. Beijing has always made it crystal clear. Independence is not on. Even talk of it is not on.  As the undisputed sovereign, they have the right to make that crystal clear.

And yet, and so, the teenage  “freedom fighters” — who, if we’re going to be charitable, were schooled so badly they had no idea of Beijing’s views on independence— fought for independence. Rioted for independence. Burnt train stations and mainland owned businesses for independence. 

And what we get is above. Less suffrage than we had in 2018. Less representation than we had before. Fewer freedoms than we had before. 

Way to go. Zoomers!