Protesters want a rethink of Basic Law bargain between Communist Party and big business
John Burns says the injustices of the current system make it untenable
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's comments in the international media implying that government in Hong Kong must be protected from populism is a timely reminder of the bargain the Chinese Communist Party struck with big business in the 1980s that was then codified in the Basic Law.
Leung said that "you have to take care of all the sectors in Hong Kong … and if it's entirely a numbers game and numeric representation, then obviously you would be talking to half of the people in Hong Kong who earn less than US$1,800 a month". Apparently, enfranchising the poor is unacceptable.
In the Basic Law bargain, the party offered big business in Hong Kong economic benefits on the mainland and business-friendly policies in Hong Kong in exchange for loyally supporting party policies on and in Hong Kong. The essence of the bargain had nothing to do with patriotism, although that would be a plus.
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In the years following the promulgation of the Basic Law, big business in Hong Kong cashed in on investment opportunities on the mainland facilitated by the party.
To deliver on its promise, the party established a government structure that significantly advantaged big business and the professions through the functional constituency system in the Legislative Council. The party also structured the regime for nominating the chief executive in such a way that big business and the party could determine the final nomination outcome.
Creating a few non-big business/professional functional constituencies served only to demonstrate to the public that representation was somehow balanced.
According to the bargain, big business was to deliver strong support for the party's Hong Kong policies. That could be achieved through supporting the government in Legco, and supporting the party's united front activities in the city. For the most part, both sides have kept their side of the bargain. The Basic Law bargain was crafted following several decades of economic growth for the poor and middle class to advance. Since then, fate has not been so kind. Slower growth, skyrocketing housing prices and increased competition have reduced opportunities for upward mobility among ordinary Hongkongers. The local population is now better educated and increasingly aware they have been disenfranchised.