Silence amounts to guilt when there is a duty to speak. In commemorating the sixth anniversary of reunification with the mainland on July 1, Hong Kong witnessed its largest protest since 1989.
The protest's core objective was to resist the Hong Kong government's proposals to pass Article 23 legislation. But the demonstration, and the expression of the right to dissent, are a reflection of the state of governance in Hong Kong. The government has obviously not sufficiently and genuinely engaged the residents of the Special Administrative Region on the need for national security legislation.
The Sars crisis and the handling of it by the government only aggravated the concerns of the people, and July 1 reflected the deep and pervasive resentment of Hongkongers over the policies of their government.
The protest brought to the forefront many issues relating to good governance, democratic dissent and the human right to protest and dissent. Hong Kong residents have demonstrated a unique sense of civic leadership by coming to the streets and expressing their concerns in a truly democratic way. The right to protest and the freedom to dissent are inextricable parts of democratic governance, and relate to the enjoyment of political freedoms and meaningful participation in the decisions that shape a society.
Hong Kong is maturing and is getting ready to embrace democracy, but democracy is not just about elections. It is also about accountability and responsibility and, in this context, the Hong Kong experience of people protesting in the streets can have profound implications for the government developing policies relating to good governance.
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific has described the characteristics of good governance as participation, the rule of law, transparency, responsiveness, an orientation towards consensus, equity and inclusiveness, effectiveness, efficiency and accountability.
The United Nations Development Programme has said governance is the exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a country's affairs at all levels. It comprises mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences. If protests and dissents are not heard by the government, and if people are not allowed to exercise their right to be heard, then, arguably, the situation could culminate in a crisis in governance. The conduct of the protesters was remarkable, as they aired their views and opinions through a democratic protest against government policies, including their concerns on the national security legislation. Not one person was arrested.