"Why are there so many peoples walking on the street?", my son asked me. Before I could figure out how to explain in a way a four years old could understand. He shot me several more questions - " why are they carrying flag? ", "what are they singing", "why are there so many police?"
This was on the New Year Day along the Queen's Road. The Pan-Democratic camp organized the New Year Protest March which has in recent years become almost an annual custom.
The protesters had a myriad of petitions but two stood out prominently - universal franchise for 2012 and release of Liu Xiaobo.
The Pan-Dem had been working to pressure on an earlier date for universal franchise as well as the abolishment of functional constituencies which are a depository of various professional and business interest. Actually, several Pan-Dem legislators are planning to resign to force an island-wide reelection which they hope is a surrogate of a referendum on calling for earlier universal franschise.
Calling for the release of Liu is perhaps a last minute inclusion as Liu was sentence a week earlier on X-mas for 11 years. Several brave hearts put up a banner calling for the end of one party dictatorial rule.
HK is perhaps the only place under the Chinese sovereignty in which freedom of expression is not restrained.
The dissidents in HK need not worry being waken up middle of the night and taken to icy-cold lock up for interrogation. In a certain country, witness invited by the authority to give evidence could find himself death plunging from multiple storey building the next morning. In a slightly more enlightened country, the dissidents would have to watch their mouth lest they are sued for defamation into oblivion.
Nothing of these happen in HK.
13 years had lapsed since the handover. The CCP's pledge of preseving the one country two systems in HK for 50 years has only 37 years to go. Will HK be better or worse, only time can tell. But there were these retirees, parents with young children, students and ordinary peoples who were trying to make the difference.
Standing on the pavement, bending down to HR's eye level, I told him that these peoples were expressing themselves by walking, by singing, by shouting slogan, by hitting the drum, by hoisting banners and flags, trying to make China better and Hong Kong happier.
He seemed understood.....or it was just what I want to believe.
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Honestly, messy as they can be, I have come to appreciate the positive and uplifting effects of the democratisation and political liberalisation of Hong Kong and Taiwan. I was often dismayed by the antics, hypocrisy and power hungry selfishness of many politicians, including the previous President of the ROC. But overall, the Chinese people have shown a level of increasing political maturity that gives me hope for Chinese political future. The spirit of respect for the system, democratic principles, social and political freedom, a sense of tolerance for dissenting opinions and a sense of live-and-let-live is a tremendously healthy trend. Whatever its faults, democracy is based on trust in the good sense and judgment of the people. It may be slow moving and frustrating, but by having public debate and resolution of issues really takes the edge off many sensitive issues. I must say compared to PRC, the chances for violent social and political conflict is much lower in Taiwan and Hong Kong. And also in a time when the only rule of the game is CHANGE; I now believe a democratic system can best sustain the peace and prosperity of a nation.
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