It's really about us
Meaning arises because of people, not material things. We can celebrate an individual's achievement because we can identify with it. We feel good - even great - when people team up. Social achievements also require teamwork. Remember what it was like when the people of Hong Kong showed up in huge numbers to protest against Article 23 legislation on July 1, 2003? It felt good because we saw how people cared so much. It was a moment that brought a peaceful, dignified yet defiant message home that there was such a thing as collective will.
The government of the day messed up in the drafting and promotion of a controversial piece of legislation and officials were going to ram it down our throats when the public had asked for more time to reflect and discuss.
Going to vote is one occasion that can make people feel good. The ballot box allows a society to renew its public sphere by sending a message to the political elite. It is the people's chance to give their politicians a report card. Through an election campaign, the whole nation can reflect on the past, assess the present and look forward to a better future. Universal suffrage is designed to give every adult citizen the chance to take part.
The US presidential election last week was one such occasion. The high turnout rate was a sign of the national engagement of citizens. How they voted also showed demographic shifts, and why President-elect Barack Obama was successful.
There is a lesson here, too, for our chief executive, ministers and politicians. The notion that if something 'ain't broke, don't fix it' is not a formula for success against generational and demographic change. Once transition lines are crossed, the old frameworks won't inspire any more. Politicians can continue to repeat tired mantras along party lines but it won't compel people to go along with them. If there is no one who people really want to vote for, they will vote against what they dislike, but these elections are usually lacklustre occasions.
In Hong Kong, what is fascinating is the consistent support of about 60 per cent of geographical constituency voters for the pro-democracy camp, from election to election. Why is that? I will borrow a phrase from Senator Obama when he spoke about the US presidential election: 'It is not about me. It is about you.'
Hong Kong people know subliminally that elections here, even when they are not electing a government, are really about them. They know the system is unfair because their vote is discounted due to the existence of the functional constituency system, which gives disproportionate voting power to small, vested-interest groups that return half the legislature. Somehow, the people of this city manage to show their feelings each time, whether the pro-democracy camp is strong or in disarray.
There is one other very important observation about the US presidential election. Many people see America as a waning power. It is a nation at war, and now flat broke from overspending. Its financial might has collapsed. Who would have thought, just a few months ago, that American banks would be nationalised? But, while the rest of the world ponders whether this is the beginning of the end of Pax Americana, we are also stunned by America's power to renew itself by electing a new president who could be an agent of change.
Senator Obama was born in 1961, a few years after segregation was outlawed. The election of John F. Kennedy that year gave a boost to the civil rights movement. In 1963, Martin Luther King gave his 'I Have a Dream' speech. Americans elected a black president this year because their society has obviously undergone a tremendous transformation, even though racism still exists.
Let's not mince words. This is possible in a society where people have the right to vote; demographic and generational transitions can be reflected through the ballot box. Transformation and renewal is what gives people hope.
Christine Loh Kung-wai is chief executive of the think-tank Civic Exchange
