The US pot calling the HK kettle black
- American politicians should realise they have zero to negative moral authority to tell other people how to run elections, governments and police, given the disgraceful state of their own governance
Oh dear, this is just too much, even by American standards.
“White House/Trump administration slams Hong Kong for election delay,” the international news headlines scream, all in some variations thereof.
It came at about the same time as US President Donald Trump himself threatened to postpone the 2020 presidential election, you know, the one for the most powerful office in the world, not just a mere city election somewhere in Asia.
The president has long predicted, as early as 2016, that this US election in November will be rigged, and has hinted he may not concede if he loses. Well, I don’t know if it will be rigged or fair. I am not American and it’s not my business.
‘Delay the election,’ Trump tweets, an idea even Republicans swiftly reject
I do know something about the politics of my own city. Just before you accuse me of “whataboutism” for the umpteenth time, I refer you to my previous column explaining why Hong Kong’s own election postponement is not only justified, but absolutely necessary.
All I am saying here is, why can’t America just shut up about us, please? On elections, police tactics, governance and everything else, the US has no moral authority to tell anyone else what to do.
Are Hong Kong police brutal, abusive and corrupt? Maybe by some other countries’ or international standards. But compared to US cops, really! At least ours don’t play soldiers with heavy weapons. Last week, a New York Times editorial said: “Federal agents don’t need army fatigues … If you’re an officer of the law, dress like one.”
Except those federal agents deployed across the US against rioters/protesters/Gandhi-wannabes, don’t just dress like soldiers, they are equipped like special forces operators and use military-grade weapons and equipment, including heavy-armoured personnel vehicles and helicopters.
Portland protesters have first night without tear gas as feds withdraw
The Pentagon has long had programmes that give away or sell cheaply overstocked weapons and equipment to police departments across the US. Imagine the PLA doing that with Hong Kong police!
Cities so occupied include Portland, Kansas City, Seattle, Oakland, New York, and Washington DC. Protesters have been seen taken off streets by unidentified agents in unmarked vehicles. The chickens have come home to roost: the terror tactics of too many right-wing dictatorships Washington has propped up over many decades have been adopted by its own security forces.
I am the first to admit Hong Kong police have much to learn and review following last year’s violent unrest. Asia’s finest? Not sure about that any more. But better than the Americans? Hands down!
