Like most people who will be marching tomorrow, I am not a politician and have no special interest in politics. Rather, I am a citizen of Hong Kong concerned about our future and the future of our children and their children. I believe that I am speaking for most of my fellow marchers when I say there are basically three reasons for our participation in the march.
First, we want to demonstrate our commitment to Hong Kong. Under the Joint Declaration, Hong Kong is entitled to a high degree of autonomy. This means Hong Kong people have the right to run their own affairs, and the people must be committed, and permitted, to do so. At the same time, we fully accept that matters concerning national defence and international relationships are within the exclusive province of our government in Beijing. Our loyalty to China and to the government of the People's Republic of China is beyond question.
Second, we wish to express our frustration and dissatisfaction over the performance of the present Hong Kong government. There is no other effective way of conveying the message. Although no government is perfect, over the past seven years this one has been responsible for a whole series of unmitigated disasters. The recent Harbour Fest fiasco is only one of many examples. The government simply seems incapable of doing anything right.
These disasters have adverse economic consequences and cause tremendous suffering, especially among the poor.
The government's sad performance has also given the impression to both local people and the international community that Hong Kong is losing the two most important reasons for its success - the rule of law and a level playing field. The spirit of the rule of law demands that the government should scrupulously abide by the law, and not use it only to see what it can get away with.
A level playing field means no one person nor organisation should be favoured by the government; every citizen, whether friend or foe of the government, should be treated the same. Whenever there is a conflict between government interests, private interests and public interests - as often arises in important issues - the public interest should come first, government interests second and private interests only third.
