Political reform can rally Hong Kong to rise to its challenges
Joseph Cheng says that while a democratic government is no panacea forHong Kong's ills, political reform can nevertheless rally the people to meet the serious challenges ahead
All concerned parties will be watching the turnout for today's July 1 protest rally with great interest. This is a concrete indicator of the community's grievances and an evaluation of the performance of Leung Chun-ying's administration. Hong Kong people understand that any chance Leung has of being re-elected, or indeed of completing this term, will depend on Beijing's perception of his performance. So, like their counterparts on the mainland, one way for them to show their anger to the Chinese leadership is through the media.
On political reform, the Hong Kong government has had little to say. It has also been slow to respond to the Edward Snowden saga. Conservatives in the pro-Beijing united front have increasingly blamed demands for democracy and the Occupy Central campaign on "collusion" with external forces and the "landmines" left by the British colonial administration.
Meanwhile, pro-democracy activists and Hong Kong people are treating Snowden as a hero and have not hesitated to criticise the US administration. The pro-Beijing media has even given space to the pro-democracy camp's views, an extremely rare occurrence.
Since 2003, the July 1 protests have fully demonstrated that Hong Kong people cherish their right to articulate their grievances, but they also appreciate that there are limits; they have no intention of damaging the city's stability and prosperity.
If the government respects the right of the people to protest, then these annual rallies and the Occupy Central campaign can uphold the good image of Hong Kong people's moderation. The fears in recent months about protests getting out of control have come from the so-called patriotic groups. The fear-mongering may damage the reputation of the pro-democracy movement and give the administration an excuse to clamp down.
Yet, the much more serious concern is surely the likely failure of reaching agreement on political reform. In short, this would hurt Hong Kong badly. The incumbent chief executive and the person elected in 2017 would still lack legitimacy in the eyes of most people, and he or she would not have the mandate or political support to implement badly needed reforms. Effective governance may be difficult.