Overzealous security measures for Zhang Dejiang are barriers to ‘seeing, listening and speaking’
Surya Deva says if unjustified, the extensive security measures aimed at protecting the NPC chairman in Hong Kong will only further alienate government critics
Zhang offers olive branch, but stands solidly versus notion of Hong Kong independence
Given the unprecedented security by Hong Kong police for Zhang’s visit and his itinerary, it doesn’t seem he will get to see, listen or speak to a representative section of society. One may think that the security arrangements are counterproductive to the very purpose of Zhang’s visit.
Zhang’s remark reminded me of the three wise monkeys who “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”. The Hong Kong government has gone to great lengths to ensure Zhang sees or hears no “evil” talk of universal suffrage, the missing booksellers’ saga or human rights generally. Of course, there’s no question of interacting with people arguing for “self-determination”.
Smiles on one side, protests on the other as Zhang Dejiang arrives for Hong Kong visit
While noble goals such as human rights feature in the constitutional documents of both mainland China and Hong Kong, the actual practice is quite different in the two jurisdictions. In the case of a visit by a Chinese leader to Hong Kong, the actual practice of human rights here should guide what should or should not be kept out of his sight.