In our world of quantitative appraisals, hundreds of thousands of participants were counted in this year's July 1 demonstration. Those who maintain a political position different from the central government regarding the pace of democratic progress in Hong Kong were pleased to see the success of their months of lobbying for a massive turnout.
Enthusiastic organisers put the number of marchers at 530,000, when the official figure was less than half that. The varying demands of those who took to the streets were, in a manner similar to that of a year ago, arbitrarily subsumed under the democratic demand for universal suffrage and the slogan of 'return power to the people'.
Voices aggrieved by the right-of-abode issue, specific government policies, and Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa himself, were all stifled by the bellows of the so-called democrats. The carnival was complete. The point was proved. But what exactly was the point? It amounted to propaganda - not real conviction - for organisers who mouthed democratic principles to inflate the turnout, thus trivialising the gravity of political demonstrations in a democratic society.
The local media, which has hitherto treated with inherent trust those who so loudly and persuasively pay lip service to democratic values, was also betrayed. The foreign media, with the luxury of distance, and hence detachment, was more astute in reporting the turnout. The result is that our local community was given a distorted view of the numbers who took part.
The community must be given credit for employing peaceful means to air its grievances. Not every protester shared the same specific desire as the democrats. Individual needs and troubles were disregarded to make way for the organised political ends of partisan politics, a strategy that is clearly undemocratic. Media reports focused on the democrats' demands, while little attention was paid to people's own worries and fears - a reminder to our community that partisan politics has ridden roughshod over the needs and complaints of individuals. The festive mood may well mark the emergence of a new aspect of Hong Kong's unique political culture. It was also distinct from last year's sombre atmosphere, when the Article 23 controversy lent a deep sense of anxiety to a city that had never had to worry about national security.
This year's rally reflected positively on the special administrative region and the mainland. The fiesta atmosphere showed protesters were confident that their rights are intact, and that the Hong Kong government would do nothing to curtail, threaten or penalise their freedom of expression and their right to peaceful protest.