'Allies' best kept at the fringes

Hong Kong's democratic camp has a real problem that can only be solved by decisive action. The reckless and self-indulgent actions of the League of Social Democrats and their offshoot, the 'People's Force', threaten to undermine the democrats' widespread popular support. Meanwhile, the radicals are providing the floundering government with a lifeline.

This was vividly illustrated in the wake of the recent budget, arguably the least popular and most ill-conceived budget ever presented by the special administrative region government. As popular anger rose, the radicals decided to do what they always do, which is throw objects at officials, make a lot of noise and try to disrupt public events. On this occasion, it is alleged that the chief executive was assaulted and thus popular anger over the government was transformed into a time-wasting debate over the nature of the assault.

Not only did this divert attention from the main issue, but it encouraged a sinister intervention from the mainland authorities who blithely pushed aside the niceties of Hong Kong's highly valued legal system to declare guilt without a hint of due process. It is all very well to get steamed up about this but it is equally pertinent to ask the league why they are so prepared to provide opportunities to undermine the freedoms which Hong Kong clings to, and why they seem not to care about the alienation of public opinion.

League members, and others in this ultra-radical camp, argue that their protests reflect growing frustration with the government and impatience over its refusal to listen to public opinion. They also say, with some justification, that police tactics are increasingly curtailing the freedom to protest. This is most clearly seen in the policing of protests outside the central government's liaison office in Western and by the unjustified use of pepper spray during the anti-budget protest.

However, repression and government intransigence are not best countered by repeating ineffective tactics time and again. What is required is creative thinking about protest. Most important for any protest movement is the need to mobilise as many people as possible, as opposed to keeping a hard core of activists happy with little more than the practice of activism itself.

It can be said, without an iota of qualification, that Hong Kong's most effective protests have been the most peaceful. The Article 23 anti-subversion legislation was stopped in its tracks by massive peaceful protests on the streets. The solidarity of the Hong Kong people with the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre was underlined by the massive and entirely orderly outpouring on the streets. Surely something can be learned from this.

However, hundreds of thousands of people cannot be mobilised on a regular basis; other tactics are needed.