How Hong Kong's democracy battle has been reduced to a laughing stock

Compare the way our democracy battle was fought back in the days of Martin Lee Chu-ming and the late Szeto Wah to how it is being fought now. Back then, it came across as a noble goal with popular backing. And now? Clownish is a good way to describe it.

Think of modern-day democracy struggles and Aung San Suu Kyi springs to mind. One woman who faced impossible odds against Myanmar's military dictators. The stoical way she pursued her cause earned her international admiration.

Don't expect international admiration for the way we are conducting our fight for democracy. There is nothing stoical about hurling bananas and obscenities at government officials. Other than the annual June 4 vigil and the July 1 march, little else portrays our pursuit of democracy as dignified. The struggle for democracy is supposed to unite the people against those who deny it to them. But ours divides more than unites the people.

They are free to express their views in the media and through loudhailers at street protests without fear of arrest. Yet our democracy leaders are allowing the pursuit of their goal to be defined by divisions, vendettas, childish theatrics and weak leadership.

We have now reached a point where our more radical democracy leaders equate the pursuit of democracy with the downfall of C.Y. Leung. Surely, they must understand that even if Leung falls tomorrow, democracy will not magically take over. On the contrary, agitating for his removal would further unsettle mainland leaders who are already jittery over the direction of our democracy debate. The more spooked they become, the higher the chances they would either delay or downgrade the kind of democracy we end up with.